Little Damian
by Tinni
Summary: Talia is forced to send Damian to Gotham when he's only five, long before he could experience the worst of the League of Assassin. But will Bruce want him? Will Ra's allow Bruce to keep him? Is Tim plotting to kill Damian? More importantly, why can't Damian stay with Dick forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"We have to go!" That was all the warning Damian received before he was picked up by his mother as she ran to the balcony attached to Damian's room and jumped.

Damian didn't have a chance to be scared. Not that he would be, his mother's arm was wrapped tightly around him, and he felt safe. She wouldn't drop him. They landed in a half crouch but Talia was soon off and sprinting.

She didn't waste her breath explaining anything. Only ran until she got to the harbour. There, two yachts waited for her. Ravi, Damian's primary tutor and caretaker, waited in one. Talia handed Damian over to Ravi. For one brief moment, Damian kept his arms outstretched, wanting to go back to his mother. But he was ignored.

"Take him to Gotham, to Wayne Manor. Give him to Bruce Wayne, the Batman, his father. You will stay with Damian and continue his education and training. I will not let this temporary setback disrupt my son's education."

"Yes, mistress," and they were off.

* * *

"We must be polite," Ravi coached Damian, as they drove up the long, lonely road that leads to Wayne Manor, "He might be your father, but the choice to bring you into this world was Lady Talia's alone. So we cannot expect anything from him, save a place to live until Lady Talia is ready to fetch us."

"I understand," replied Damian. He was not surprised that he was expected to find a way to earn his place at his father's house.

"He also seems to have sons he has adopted into his family," explained Ravi, "The one call Timothy Jackson Drake still lives with him. I would be careful and weary around him. His father was killed recently. But not before he managed to squander the last of the Drake family fortune. It is likely that Master Drake won't be happy to have a little brother."

"I understand," Damian could read between the lines. Drake was most likely going to try to kill him. He'll have to be one guard. Stay close to Ravi until he knew Drake's weaknesses."

"Mr Wayne has two other adopted children. Richard John Grayson who, our agents in the city have informed me only infrequently visit the manor. The other is Jason Peter Todd. Your father believes Jason Todd is dead. But in truth, Lady Talia brought him back to life using the Lazarus Pit. He is in the city and I have managed to get in touch with him. He was instructed me to bring you to him immediately if things go wrong in the manor. You are not to tell your father about Master Todd."

"I understand," If his mother had brought Jason back, then Jason was his only true brother. He'll make sure not to reveal his brother's secrets. Even if his father or more likely, Tim Drake tortured him.

"We are here," Ravi pulled up outside largely stately gates.

He had to get out of the car to interact with the intercoms. Damian wondered if the inconvenience was by design. But he didn't have too long to ponder the question as the intercom was quickly connected and a soft but authoritative British voice enquired what they wanted. Ravi did not beat around the bush, "I have come to deliver the son of Batman to the batman."

The voice over the intercom tried to dismiss them, "This is a bad joke. Mr Wayne…"

"His mother is Talia Al Ghul," Ravi interrupted the man.

The estate gates swang upon without further protest. Damian found himself too terrified to keep looking out the window. He curled in on him and buried his head in his knees. What would his father require of Damian? What price did Damian have to pay so that he wasn't cast out or worse, disposed of? Damian didn't know.

"I am Damian Al Ghul," he repeated to himself, "Whatever challenge is set for me, I will conquer! I will never fail!"

The car drove on, and before long, it pulled in front of the open manor door, where stood a tall, broad, imposing man with an intimidating aura. It was his father, Bruce Wayne, the Batman. The man his mother had chosen to be his father but the man who didn't know about Damian until this moment.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I had an old fic in AO3 that I have since deleted that explored the concept of Damian coming to live with Bruce earlier than in canon. I dropped it because the central focus of the story was Damian being an empath and I actually didn't do much with the concept. I also wanted to tie in which Hush and Under the Red Hood but in the end, that didn't pan out. I don't know about others, but I enjoy writing fanfiction for stories that have "gaps". Hush and Under the Red Hood are two of the most complete stories DC has ever published. There are very few gaps to insert my own take on. But since I still liked the idea of Li'l Damian, I decided to have another crack at this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

They sat in a large formal living room. In front of the last family portrait, Thomas and Martha sat for before their untimely death. Not that Damian knew that, but he was observant enough to deduce who was in the portrait. He was pleased that this was the room his father had chosen to welcome him into his family's ancestral home. To be accepted into the family under the gaze of his grandparents felt appropriate.

His father took a seat in front of him and Ravi. Alfred Pennyworth the butler and Tim Drake flanked him from behind. Suddenly, Damian wasn't feeling very welcomed because the look his father was directing at them was openly hostile.

"Where is Talia?" his father demanded of Ravi, as soon as they were settled in.

"We do not know where Lady Talia is," replied Ravi truthfully, "We were attacked unexpectedly at our island base. We could not identify the assailants but they were well armed and nearly overwhelmed us. Hundreds of Lady Talia's most loyal followers died to give her and Lord Damian the opportunity to escape. Lady Talia did not disclose where she was heading. Only that I was to bring Lord Damian to his father and under your protection, continue his education."

His father levelled a truly impressive glare at Ravi, "And what are you teaching him?"

"I am focusing on the four Rs of reading, writing, arithmetic and art," Ravi explained, "I am also teaching him Taichi. Alas, that is the only martial knowledge I have, for I am a lowly servant of the league and not one of the assassins. Perhaps you can help assist with the martial training of your son," Ravi suggested.

Damian thought that was a great idea. But apparently, his father did not. "No," he replied, "Alfred will show you to your room."

"I would request the use of your library, I assume you have one, and your grounds for Lord Damian's education and training," Ravi quickly spoke, clearly not wanting to leave the points unaddressed, "I was also planning on going shopping this afternoon. We left with nothing and I only had a brief chance to pick the basics from one of your Walmarts."

"I don't want you to bring trouble to my city," his father snapped.

"I do not believe we were followed. The paternity of Lord Damian is not generally known in the League. I only learnt of it when I had to. It is unlikely anyone is going to follow us to Gotham," Ravi assured him.

His father said nothing and started to leave. Drake, he followed his father out and started to say in somewhat hushed tones that would have escaped the ears of anyone who wasn't taught to listen to whispers like Damian was, "You just believe him? Aren't you going to test..."

They were too far away for even Damian to hear more. Not that he could have continued listening because Pennyworth was addressing them, "Please follow me, I will show you to the guest quarters."

Guests, is that what he was? Just a guest. Damian felt a crushing sense of weight on his chest. His father didn't want him. He was only letting him stay as a guest out of obligation to his mother, no doubt. He wasn't a Wayne. Only an Al Ghul.

Damian moved closer to Ravi and barely stopped himself from grabbing hold of his robes. It wasn't dignified for an Al Ghul to seek assurance from a servant. But Damian was glad to have Ravi. He didn't know how to be a good guest at the Wayne Manor. But with Ravi's help, he would be.

* * *

"There are upsides to being mere guests," Ravi suggested, once they were in the room assigned to Damian and Damian had found himself admitting to his disappointment at not being welcomed as a son.

"If Master Wayne has no desire to claim you, he is unlikely to interfere with your mother's claim," he pointed out, "Furthermore, Master Drake is also unlikely to consider you a threat to whatever he hopes to inherit from your father. It will make our stay here more pleasant and that is the best outcome for us right now."

Damian nodded. He didn't feel any better but he could see Ravi's point. Ravi for his part continued to unpack the small number of clothes, toiletries, art and writing material he had obtained for them from a Walmart on route to Gotham. Ravi had made clear that he intended to sleep on the floor in Damian's room. But at the declaration, Pennyworth that changed the room assigned to them, giving them a bigger room with a coach on which Ravi could spend the night. So Ravi methodically went about making the room as comfortable for the two of them as he could.

"Pennyworth has agreed to escort me to the local shopping mall with stores where I can obtain clothes for you befitting your stature. I have no doubt his escort is partly motivated by distrust. But we must work within the circumstance we find ourselves in. If I may be so bold, I suggesting busying yourself as best you can within this room, while I am gone."

"That is fine," Damian replied. "I will bathe, and then I want something to eat. Once you have made my lunch. You are free to do as you please. I will draw until you get back. But I expect you to bring back another visual diary of higher quality. Also a laptop. At least a tablet or a phone."

"I am not certain the Batman will allow us to have electronics," Ravi reasoned, "At least not of our own. But I will try to see if Pennyworth will allow me to purchase a laptop," he assured Damian.

Damian felt that crushing weight pressing down on his chest again. He thought he would stop feeling it, once he conferred with Ravi about their reception. But Ravi's suggestion to look at the bright side wasn't helping. Because what Damian wanted to know, was why he wasn't good enough for his father.

* * *

There was a tree of some character just outside his window. Damian was supposed to be drawing it. Nothing too fancy, just a sketch of exactly how he was seeing the tree through his lattice window. But his heart wasn't in it. He felt restless. He wished Ravi was back already. But the clock told him that Ravi had left not too long ago. It would be hours before he was back.

Damian sighed and put away his drawing things. He was guest, not a prisoner. Surely his father wouldn't mind Damian exploring the manor a bit. Maybe Damian could see about finding the library. That would be a worthy reason for a bit of exploration.

He decided to try and navigate from his room to the formal living room and then begin his search for the library from there. So Damian made his ways to the grand staircase. But as he approached the stairs, he could hear an excited voice that carried well, "It took you ten years, but you finally delivered! I am so happy."

"Well, technically Tim…" Damian recognised his father's voice.

"Isn't small enough to give piggyback rides too. I was very clear with my request. I even drew you a picture."

"I seem to recall some stick figures," he could hear the amusement in his father's voice. Damian wondered if he should start calling his father Mr Wayne since he didn't want him as a son or maybe he preferred Batman. Damian would have to ask Ravi about it.

He stepped out of the corridor and found his father standing with a young man on the landing of the grand staircase.

" .god!" squealed, actually squealed the man, "He looks just like you!" Before Damian could react, he snatched up into young man's arms, "Hey there!" he greeted Damian enthusiastically, "I am your big brother, Dick. Let's be friends forever!"

For one brief moment, Damian was too confused to react. But slowly he found himself smiling back. No one had ever been this overjoyed to meet him. No one had ever been this sincere in their declaration, especially when the declaration was so ridiculous. So Damian leaned down to give his brother an Eskimo kiss. He always wanted to give someone an Eskimo kiss, ever since he read about it in a book and his big brother, Dick seemed to be the perfect person to give such kiss!


	3. Chapter 3

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"I prefer, Richard," Damian replied, "It is the name of kings."

"Ah! But you can't make any good jokes about being a Richard!" complained Dick half-heartedly, "But I suppose, calling me Richards suits you. Your such a dignified little brother!" this was followed by glomp.

"Unhand me, Richard!" Damian complained, mostly because he was sure that's what he was supposed to do.

"Never!"

Dick did let Damian go, eventually and they continued their tour of the manor and grounds. There was no mention of the Batcave. Ravi had told Damian all he knew about it, which wasn't much. Damian knew there was a complex of caves beneath Wayne Manor and his father had his base of operations there. Given that his father wasn't welcoming him into the family, Damian resigned himself to not ever seeing the cave.

So he was surprised when after coming back inside, from their brief circuit around the manor, Dick took him back to the formal living room to reveal that the grandfather clock moved and behind the clock was the passage down to the caves.

"We are going to run some tests," Dick explained, "You know, get started on your health file."

"Are you going to do a DNA test too?" Damian asked.

"No," his father, who was within earshot now answered, "There is no need for that."

Oh, of course, his father didn't want him, so there was no reason to establish Damian as his blood son. Well, Richard didn't seem to care about the blood son bit. That made sense. Richard was adopted and all his blood family were dead. He's probably just happy to have a little brother until such time as his mother came for him. Damian decided he would enjoy Richard's company too and not worry about being unwanted by his father.

"Do you know why, Li'l D?" Richard suddenly asked.

"What?"

Richard was kneeling in front of him, "Do you know why Bruce doesn't have to test your DNA?"

Damian didn't know how to answer that. Richard smiled picked him up, carrying him to a nearby decorative mirror after picking up a picture from the collection of family photos from the side table. He placed the photo so that Damian could see himself, in Dick arm and the photo at the same time.

The photo was of a little boy about Damian's age, in the arms of a stern look man. Except for the eyes and paler skin, the boy looked just like Damian!

"That's your dad at your age," Dick explained, "About six years ago, your mom told your dad she was pregnant. Your dad was so excited. He even called me to let me know and we weren't talking at the time. But then, just a month later, your mom said she lost you. It devastated your dad," Dick sounded sad, "But you are here now!" he replied, perking back up, "And that's all that matters!"

Damian turned in Dick's arm to look at his Dad but he wasn't there. During his and Dick's conversation, he seemed to have slipped away. Probably down to the cave. Damian didn't know what to think. So he buried his face in Dick's neck, giving Dick a squeezing hug. He didn't understand why he did it, but it did make him feel better.

* * *

Ravi returned with bags and bags of clothes, toys, books and art supply. "I tried to only buy what we needed. Because we need to make our limited funds stretch. But Pennyworth insisted on putting everything on the household credit card and also insisted on buying some very unnecessary things. Like this Batman Bear and a Robin Bear."

Ravi handed Damian the aforementioned bears. Damian stared at them bewildered, "I do not need to be coddled!" he snapped.

"I am aware, Lord Damian," replied Ravi soothingly, "But coddling is the way of many parents. It seems to be how the Wayne family opts to raise their young. My suggestion would be to allow yourself to be coddled for now. After all, when we return, Lady Talia will no doubt redouble your training. You will not have much time for Bat bears in the near future but the memory of Bat bear might be helpful during the gruelling training that awaits you."

Ravi had a point, Damian acknowledged. "Do you think my mother is doing well?" asked Damian, tentatively.

"Lady Talia is intelligent, skilled and extremely resourceful. She will be back for you soon, with an army to keep you safe during your training."

Damian nodded and hopped down from the sofa in his room. Richard had left him in there to go through the shopping with Ravi. "I am going to find Richard and show him my bears!"

Damian ran out of the room, leaving Ravi to put away the shopping and tidy up the room. It didn't take him long to find Richard. He was with Tim in one of the small sitting rooms. The door was slightly ajar, and Damian was about to make his presence known when Tim's words stopped him dead in his track.

"That's it! You are okay with everything!" Tim was yelling angrily.

"Of course I am! He's the cutest, sweetest little brother and I already love him. I am surprised you have such an issue with him. Didn't you used to write to Santa asking for a little brother?"

"I never believed in Santa," snapped Tim, "And besides, I wouldn't want the grandson of the demon's head as my brother!"

Damian got angry, he kicked open the door and yelled back, "Well I don't want a loser like you as my brother either!"

"Li'l D, what are you doing here?" asked Dick, coming to him immediately and crouching down to look him in the eye.

"I wanted to show you Bat bear," it sounded stupid now that he said it out loud. He glared at Tim, daring him to make fun of him like Damian knew Tim wanted.

Tim didn't get a chance. Dick scooped him up and left the room. Cooing about Bat Bear and suggesting Bat Bear meet something called Zitka the elephant. Damian understood what was happening but let himself be distracted.

However, it was clear that he had to watch Tim. He doubted Tim would attack him openly. But he wouldn't put it past Tim to poison him or otherwise injure him. Maybe even permanently disable him. But Damian was on to Tim and Tim would learn that Damian wasn't about to go down without a fight!


	4. Chapter 4

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"I don't like Tim!" declared Damian.

"Don't say that! He's a sweet kid, but he's had a lot of changes in his life recently. So he needs a bit of time to adjust to you," Dick replied, "Please be kind to him."

Damian didn't reply. It's not like he had a choice in the matter, he was just a guest. He had to be good. But if Drake attacked him, he would not hesitate to defend himself. Damian informed Dick of as much.

"Damian!" Dick sounded exasperated, he knelt and looked Damian in the eye, "Tim is not going to attack you. Tim is an ally. He's here to protect you. He's just having a hard time adjusting. But he'll come around."

Damian didn't believe him, but he was bright enough to know when further arguments were futile. "I better get going," commented Dick, checking the time on his phone.

"You are not staying for dinner?" Damian had wanted to eat with Dick.

"I can't stay for dinner," Dick replied apologetically, "I have a lead on a weapons deal going down in Bludhaven tonight. So I can't skip tonight's patrol. But I'll be back midday tomorrow."

"You don't have to work?" Damian wondered. He had heard that Superheros often had day jobs.

"I run a gym and circus school," replied Dick, "I don't mean that I train people for the circus. I wish I did, but it doesn't work like that," Dick explained, "I teach circus routines to kids and adults for fun and fitness. But all my classes are on the weekends. During the week I hold 'before work Zumba workout' between 6:30 am and 7:30 am. After that, it's all boring, tedious management stuff as my lovely staff mind the gym, hold lunch and afternoon classes. I can do management stuff from here! You can keep me company."

"I can help!" Damian replied, "I am good with numbers."

"I would love that! I suck with numbers. Babs and Tim set up everything so that it might be as easy for me as possible," replied Dick, "But it still sucks! So if you can help me, Li'l D, it would be great!" They said their goodbyes and Damian was left alone.

He didn't see his father or Tim for the rest of the afternoon or when evening rolled around. Ravi served him dinner in the former dining room. Alfred Pennyworth offered to serve both Damian and Ravi. But Ravi refused to eat with Damian.

"The servant does not share the table with his lord master," Ravi pointed out, indignantly.

So Damian ate alone. But the food was good. Ravi was a good cook and had been allowed to use the Wayne kitchen to prepare a special meal for Damian. So Damian ate quietly as Ravi told him his schedule for tomorrow.

"I understand that Batman is unlikely to be back until 4 am, perhaps even later. Then he will sleep. So I suggest we start our day at 6 AM. We will exercise until 8 AM. Followed by breakfast. We can start our studies at 9 AM, adjourning for lunch at noon, which I understand is when Batman will also be taking his meal."

"I don't think my father wants my company," replied Damian.

"Perhaps that is true," replied Ravi, "But we should be polite and attempt to have a meal with our host. If we are rebuffed, we will adjust our plans and eat in private."

"Richard will be here for lunch tomorrow," Damian added after a moment of contemplation, "He'll want my company."

"I am glad you are getting along with Master Richard," Ravi replied with a soft smile, "He seems like a pleasant person."

"He would not last in the league," commented Damian.

"I don't know about that; I would not let Master Richard's friendly demeanour deceive me. He was the first Robin, and now he is Nightwing. Undoubtedly, he has steel where he needs to have steel. I would be wary about underestimating him."

Damian contemplated on what Ravi had said as he chewed. It made sense. He had not seen Richard in action. Most likely, he was a deadly fighter who had the potential to be an honour guard to his grandfather. But he would have to harden his heart and Damian didn't want that.

Alfred wished him goodnight as he cleared away the table with Ravi's help. Neither his father, nor Tim made an appearance as he made he retired to his room for the night, after a short detour to collect a book from the library. He tried not to be sad about how the day had gone with his father. But it was hard. Damian found himself not in the mood to read.

So he cuddled with Bat Bear and thought about Richard instead. Maybe he could ask him for circus lessons. Acrobatics would be useful additions to his skillset. His mother would be disappointed if he didn't gain at least a few additional skills while he was in Gotham. Since all he had was his mother, he needed to make sure he didn't disappoint her, ever!

* * *

"Eat it," it was a bat, a freshly killed bat on a plate. It looked rancid, but Drake was insisting that Damian eat it.

"I don't want to!"

"Eat it!" Drake screamed, "Eat it! Eat it!" Drake started coming towards him. Crowding him. Damian wanted to slap the plate away. But his arms felt pinned by something warm and heavy. He tried to look down to see what was holding his arm down but before he could, he woke up and found himself enclosed in the vice like cuddling grip of his father.

Damian was confused. He wasn't in his room anymore. He was in a strange room with a bigger bed. His father's room no doubt. But why was he here? He thought his father didn't want him!

Damian must have wiggled too much because suddenly his father jerked awake, "Damian," he mumbled sleepily, perhaps there was a note of surprise in his tone. Did someone else put Damian in his arms, "Did you need to use the bathroom?"

Now that his father mentioned, he did need to use the bathroom. His father pointed to the ensuite. Damian took his time. He wasn't sure why. He guessed that if his father fell back asleep, he could just leave and he wouldn't have to find out how Pennyworth might have moved him in his sleep or something.

But the Batman was still awake when he came out and opened his arms in a silent gesture for Damian to return. He did and as soon as he was enclosed within his father's arm, his father buried his nose in the crook of Damian's neck and seemed to breathe in his scent, slowly and deliberately.

"Are you alright?" after a moment's hesitation Damian added, "Father?"

"There was a child," he replied, "Your age, with black hair and green eyes, just like you. His mother, his mother wasn't well. She ran out of medication and, he's not here anymore."

Oh! His father was upset that a child died. Damian wasn't sure how to comfort an adult. His mother used to cuddle him and pat his back. She hadn't done that for a long time. But it was worth trying. So he awkwardly patted what part of his father's body he could reach given the hug he was in.

"Damian, I don't…" his father started to say but was interrupted by a loud knock.

"Bruce! Are you in there? Is Damian with you?"

"Dick?" his father sounded surprised, "Come in."

Dick was still wearing his Nightwing costume, although he had taken off his mask. He had a haggard, haunted look on his face. "What happened?" his father voice was suddenly stern and serious.

Dick came over to the bed and coaxed Damian out of his father's arm and into his own. "Everything was fine," Dick started to say, "I busted the weapons deal without issue. Got to go home early because it was so quiet. I was getting ready for my class when Sally, one of my regulars, came to the gym in her nightdress, covered in blood. She apologies for being early and started acting as if nothing was wrong. I couldn't get anything out of her. I cancelled classes and called the police. But I had to take a look myself. She had a son, the same age as Damian. He even had black hair and green eyes. She, she mentioned being on medication for bipolar disorder on her gym consent form. But I didn't think, I saw her yesterday and she was fine! She was," Dick hugged Damian closer.

"Get changed," Damian found himself twisting in Dick's arm to observe his father. His voice sounded so different. Low and growly, it must be his Batman voice, "Get some rest but stay with Damian."

"Bruce?"

"I need to check something in the cave," with that, he left.

Damian didn't completely understand, but he figured it had something to do with the boy his father was telling him about. So he told Richard about how he had woken up in his father's arms because his father was disturbed about finding a dead boy.

"And Bruce said the boy looked like you?" Damian nodded. Richard didn't say anything else. But Damian could tell, he was more worried than before.

Maybe Drake was trying to curse him or rather, curse Ravi into killing Damian. But being inept at magic, he kept getting others to kill, instead of Ravi. He was going to mention as much to Richard, but he kept it to himself. His father and Richard would discover Drake's dabble in the dark arts in their time. But Damian was on to Drake, and he would watch for spells and signs of the demon he undoubtedly allied himself with to get rid of Damian!


	5. Chapter 5

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"I need to go back," Dick said as he walked down towards the morning room with Damian, "I left Laura, one of my gym attendants, to deal with clients inconvenienced by this morning and get the gym open and running again after everything dies down. She'll quit if I don't go back and give her break."

"But you are going to come back?" Damian hated how clingy he sounded, "I mean, you don't have to. But Pennyworth might enjoy serving you."

Dick had the grace not to call attention to Damian's blatant deflection, "I want to investigate this case more. But I'll do it after I have dinner with you. How does that sound, Li'l D?"

"That is acceptable."

"Great! See you later."

Damian entered the morning room and immediately lost his appetite, Drake was there, "What are you doing here, Drake?"

"Having waffles," Tim replied, he seemed to be keeping his voice deliberately cheerful, "Listen, Damian, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I was, shocked that you existed. I came after, after the time your mom and dad were together. Bruce never talks a lot or shares himself more than he absolutely has to, and so, I didn't have any inkling you might exist. It was, all a bit much."

Damian didn't believe a word out of Drake's lying mouth. But he decided to play along because it would give him the chance to observe Drake and uncover his dark secrets, "Very well, Drake, we will start over."

Drake, however, smiled sincerely, "You want some waffles?" he offered a plate bulging with golden waffles. But Damian remembered his dream, where he was served a rancid bat by Drake.

"I will wait for Ravi to bring me my breakfast," Damian replied as politely as he could, fighting the urge to slap the obviously poisoned waffles away, "I am on a very strict diet."

"I think, Lord Damian," Ravi said as he entered with what looked like a plate of roots, "Half a waffle with not too much ice cream would not be too great an indulgence. I will, of course, modify your diet for the remainder of the day to accommodate."

Damian shot Ravi a horrified look. Had his brain turned to mush? Drake was trying to poison him. How could Ravi not see that? But Ravi seemed to know what Damian was thinking because he answered the look by saying, "After all, it is polite for guests to eat offered meals. But if something disagrees with you, I do have my box with me."

Of course, Ravi had his box of antidotes. Indeed, this might be a good opportunity to check his resistance to poisons. Feeling more confident and also not being in the mood to eat roots, Damian helped himself to a whole waffle. It was good, and Damian also couldn't taste any poisons.

"Half a waffle, Lord Damian!" Ravi protested as Damian scoffed down the waffle with a generous scoop of ice cream.

"I am sure you'll make sure he burns it off," commented Drake dryly. There was an air about him that made Damian think that he didn't like Ravi very much.

"Lady Talia is very strict about Lord Damian's sugar intake," explained Ravi, "But I will understand if the Batman wishes to indulge him while he's here."

Drake looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. Damian decided to put Drake's odd behaviour out of his mind and focus on enjoying his waffles. "For today's training," he said to Ravi, "I want to explore the Manor ground. You will hide Bat bear somewhere on the grounds, and I will search for him. You can set a timer, so I have to run, climb and otherwise be fast."

"May I hide both Bat bear and Robin bear?" asked Ravi, "One bear is too simple a task for someone of your skill, Lord Damian," Damian agreed to the level of difficulty. So Ravi left to set up Damian's training session for the day.

"The Manor grounds are very large," Drake pointed out.

"I am the heir to the Demon's head, I will find my bears!" replied Damian indignantly.

"Damian, you do realise you aren't," Drake trailed off, sighed and dropped whatever he was going to say. Damian decided to put Drake's odd tics out of his mind.

* * *

Damian took off running in search for his two bears. Ravi had given him a few hints, but none of it made any sense except the comment about a dead reckoning that served as a clue that Damian should head north.

He found Robin bear fairly quickly. He was rest next to his grandparents' graves. He quickly ran Robin bear back to the manor before resuming his search for the Bat bear. He conducted a systematic search of the grounds, as he had been instructed to do in the league and also took the opportunity to map out the grounds. Keeping a close eye for places Drake could conduct a dark ritual to summon a demon.

He found Bat bear about an hour into his search. Ravi had tossed him up a tree very close to the wall. As he climbed up to get the bear, he heard a whistle. It sounded like a bird, but it was a bird that no longer existed. It had gone extinct many centuries ago, but Ra's Al Ghul had been alive to hear it's cry. He remembered it and taught it to many in the league as a call sign among them. Was his mother here?

Damian followed the whistle carefully, wary of a trap. Very soon he came to the wall that enclosed the Wayne Estate.

"Freaking finally!" that was all the warning Damian got before a tall figure jumped down from a nearby tree, "I was beginning to think this trip was going to be a complete waste of my time!"

Damian stared up at the tall figure with black hair and blue eyes. He looked so much like his father and Grayson, and so familiar, "Jayjay!" Damian exclaimed, "You got better!"

Jason grinned, "Yeah, I got better."

"But what are you doing here? Did mother send you?" Damian asked.

He moved close to Jason but didn't move to touch him. Jayjay was always nice to him, and mom but his mother had always warned him to treat Jayjay like he would a wild animal. He got to see him only for a little while when Damian was brought to one of his Grandfather's palaces in Europe. He was very sick at the time and would sometimes lash out. It wasn't always clear why he lashed out.

"Did Talia ever tell you my full name?" Jason asked Damian replied with a vigorous head shake.

"It's Jason Peter Todd."

"Oh, Ravi mentioned a Jason. But he didn't tell me Jason was you, Jayjay!" Damian informed him.

"Who's Ravi?"

"He's my caretaker."

"Was he with you when you were in Ra's's place?"

"No, he was left back in the island. Only I was allowed to come because Grandfather wanted to test me," replied Damian.

"That's probably why he didn't know," replied Jason, "One way the League keeps its secrets is by sharing it as little as possible. I'm gonna guess that the only reason Talia told Ravi about me when she did because she had to, but you should exercise the League's need to know rules too. Don't tell B I am alive."

"But why not?"

"B buried me and forgot me. That's enough reason for me not to let him know I am back."

"He didn't care about you?"

"That doesn't matter anymore," replied Jason with a sad smile, "Nothing matters anymore. All my plans are dust," he gazed towards the manor, which looked small and remote on the horizon, with a resigned look in his eyes.

"Are you going to help my mom?" Damian asked.

"I tried to contact Talia. She told me to stay put in Gotham and make sure you stay safe," replied Jason.

"Okay, then you can help me find out what demon Drake as summoned that's killing all the boys who look like me!"

"Wait, what?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

Jason laughed for a solid five minutes after Damian explained his theory of Drake the Dark Summoner. "Oh, Damian! The Replacement is many things but a dabbler in the mystic arts he is not," he assured once he finally stopped laughing, "As for the kids, well, there might be something more than a coincidence there."

"What do you mean?" wondered Damian.

Jason scrutinised Damian carefully, "How old are you?"

Damian scowled, "I am the heir to the Demon's Head! I might even become the heir to the Bat!" his father didn't want him, but that didn't mean Damian wouldn't do his best to snatch his legacy from Drake's unworthy hands.

"I don't think you should aim for either, personally," said Jason giving him a look that Damian couldn't fully interpret, "But you probably can handle my story."

"So your mom pulled the plug on my operation about four days ago," Jason started, "She was scrambling to get to you and wanted me to lie low and not attract attention. I was pretty pissed. I was just about ready to get everything started but nope!" Jason sighed, "So I went for a walk. Ended-up at a diner not far from Crime Alley. But that's just the thing. Crime Alley was actually a nice place until your grandparents died. That's why your grandparents were there. They weren't foolhardy people who went someplace dangerous on purpose. It was just an alley near cafes, restaurants and an art-house movie theatre that played experimental foreign language films and old classics."

"But after your grandparents got shot near there, that was it. A random act of violence that robbed the world of the Waynes was too much for that neighbourhood. No one wanted to visit and one by one, the businesses started to close, and people like my parents moved in. The Diner there served people like them. But Bruce would take us there from time to time when he wanted to see how the other side lived. It's a place with a lot of memories and no cameras. So I went there to drown my disappointment in over-sugared coffee. That's when I met, Gabby. She's someone I knew when I was homeless. Before I met Batman, she remembered me and we got talking."

"I have been back a couple of times since then. She had to bring in her son yesterday. He had black hair like her but green eyes. I assume they were from whoever his father was but who knows," Jason fell silent.

Damian did not miss the "was" in Jason's story and could guess what happened next, "He's dead, isn't he? Gabby's son? Gabby killed him."

"I don't understand it," replied Jason, "Gabby loved her son. I don't understand it. But looking at his body, it was like looking at you. I had to come to see you; I had to make sure."

"It's Drake!" repeated Damian, "I know it's him."

"Damian, no!" Jason dropped down to look him in the eye, "I'll accept that someone might be trying to send a message to people who care about you with these deaths, but it's not the Replacement. You know why?" Damian shook his head, "Because the Replacement doesn't know I am alive."

* * *

Damian returned to the Manor carrying Bat Bear. He retrieved Robin Bear from the garden chair where he had left him. He was going to enter through the back door but, noticing the open window of his room, decided instead to see if he could climb the ivy on the wall below his room with both bears.

The tried to strap the bears to him with his clothes to free his hands as much as he could. But he had to move carefully to make sure the bears didn't slip and fall. He was almost near the top when he heard whispers coming from his room. It was his father and Pennyworth.

"Laura Blank killed her child? I don't believe it!" exclaimed Pennyworth.

"But it's true," his father said, "Also, the boy from last night was the son of a Wayne Enterprises employee. His father, Bill, is the VP of accounting. He was out of town last night on Wayne Tech business. That's why I didn't immediately realise that it was Bill's family. So that's three out of the four murders with a direct connection to one of us. "Dick's regular client, Laura Blank from your Shakespear club and Bill's son. The only person who has no direct connection to one of us is the waitress, Gabby Grail. But the diner she worked at was close to crime alley. Also, she appeared to have spent time at the Martha Wayne house as a child. So it's not like there was no connection."

"She was Jayjay's friend," Damian wanted to tell his father but he couldn't. He promised Jayjay he wouldn't tell.

His hands were starting to hurt, and he could feel Robin bear starting to slip from under his shirt. Damian had no choice but to scramble up and reveal himself to his father and Pennyworth.

As soon as his father saw him, he moved to grab Damian and haul him inside, "What are you doing?"

"Training!" replied Damian, wasn't it obvious? "What are you doing in my room?"

"I am afraid Master Damian," Pennyworth answered, "there will be a slight change in your living arrangement."

Damian was confused, "I didn't know you were sharing the room with Ravi," his father explained, "It's only when I came to get you that I realised Ravi was sharing your room. There is absolutely no need for that. Ravi can have this room. You will stay next to me."

"Oh," his father wanted him near, did that mean his father was beginning to see how useful Damian could be? "Very well father," he replied, he was trying not to smile but failed miserably.

His father did not seem to mind that Damian couldn't maintain his stoicism. "I need to get back to work. But I will see you later."

"For dinner?" Damian wondered hopefully, but his father shook his head sadly.

"Master Richard is unable to make it to dinner," replied Alfred, "But he suggested that you should join him in Bludhaven for an early pizza dinner. What do you say that, Master Damian?"

He would rather eat with his father, but if that's not possible, pizza with Richard would be a good substitute. "My afternoon schedule will have to be adjusted."

"I suspect it will be sometime before you are on a regular schedule," commented Alfred as he led him out of the room that was no longer his.

As they entered the hall, Damian saw that his father was already at the other end of the long hall. But suddenly, "Bruce!" Drake came running into view, no doubt coming up the stairs towards which his father was heading, "Bill was mine! I worked closely with Bill in Wayne Corp. He was mine. Yours just turned up. David O'Malley from Engineering!"

"He helped me design the bat boat," his father repeated stunned, "I, I need to see."

"It's like the others," Drake was babbling now, "Living, he didn't look too much like Damian. But dead, I swear Bruce, his face changed in death, and he looks so, so much like Damian," Tim was looking at Damian now, "All their faces changed in death."


	7. Chapter 7

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

The pizza dinner with Richard was off. But Richard was back at the manor. Only Damian didn't get to see him. He was confined to his new room, the one near his father's bedroom. His father, Drake, Richard and even Ravi were all down at the Bat Cave. Pennyworth might be in the manor, Damian wasn't sure. But Pennyworth did magically appear when Damian tried to leave his room.

"If you need something from the library or the kitchen," Pennyworth said to him, "Please use the intercom to call me and I will accompany you."

"I would like some juice," Damian didn't want juice. But he had to tell Pennyworth something to leave him alone.

After Pennyworth gave him juice, Damian took his time to drink it as he assessed the landscape outside his new window. He needed to get out and find a way into the Batcave. He needed to know what his father was up to. No doubt his father was interrogating Ravi but it was futile. Ravi was an honest person whose only job was to look after Damian. He would not know why children with similar features to Damian with some connection to people who cared about him were ending up dead.

Damian needed to get down into the Batcave and at the moment, the window was his best bet. So he started to visualise the layout of the manor, trying to work out how he could slip out the window, get back into the manor and slip down into the Batcave. He was sure there were multiple ways tunnels down to the cave. But he only knew the one behind the clock. But that would be guarded. Where else could a tunnel be?

The sun had long set. So finding another way into the caves through the grounds was unlikely. So he was sure he had to go out the window, enter back in and find a way down to the cave while evading Pennyworth. But as he gazed out on the slowly moving shadows of the ground, he was filled with despair because he didn't know a way to go down the cave expect through the old grandfather clock.

The trail of thought came to a grinding halt as some instinct screamed at Damian to pay attention. He blinked, wait a minute, the shadows on the grounds were moving! This manor was under attacked!

* * *

Damian rushed out of his room and was immediately met by Drake, who seemed to be racing to get to his room. "I am taking you down to the cave!" he snatched Damian up.

"I don't need to be carried!" Drake ignored Damian's protests and kept moving.

There was another way down to the cave. It was through a false wall that Drake seemed to have triggered to get to the hall quickly. Damian didn't see the mechanism and maybe it was remotely controlled because the door closed behind Drake as soon as they crossed the threshold.

Drake didn't stop moving until they go to the centre of the cave, where his father and Richard waited for them in full battle mode. Alfred was manning the Bat-computer. Ravi moved forward to take him from Drake.

"Put me down!" Damian ordered, Ravi obeyed, "I can fight too."

"No!" his father replied with finality, "Take him into the panic room."

"There will be no need for that," two figures emerged out of the shadow, one man and a woman. The woman looked familiar but Damian couldn't quite place her.

"Lady Raatko," Ravi exclaimed.

Oh, so she was Nyssa Raatko. His mother's half-sister. He heard a bit about her. She didn't see eye to eye with Grandfather over a lot of things. But was still loosely affiliated with the League of Assassins. But both grandfather and mother considered her untrustworthy.

"What are you doing here, Nyssa?" his father demanded.

Nyssa walked a bit closer and turned her gaze towards Damian, "Hello Damian, I am your aunt. I did not expect to meet you here."

"Nyssa," there was a note of warning in his father's voice now.

Nyssa sighed, "I can't locate Talia or my father. I suspect they are together, fighting off the forces arrayed against us. I thought about just disposing of the body. But that didn't seem right. I am not a heartless monster. I did care about her. Just, I thought I would care about her more. I mean, she was with me. I caused her to be born and kept her with me. But somehow I care about Mara and Damian more."

"What are you talking about?" Richard demanded, "Whose Mara?"

"Mara is a grandchild of Lord Ra's," Ravi explained, "I am not certain whose daughter she is and I can only guess that her parent is a child who is not favoured by Lord Ra's. My Lord has many children who are simply followers and not born to lead like Lady Talia. Lord Damian trains with his cousin on occasion."

"Maybe that's it," Nyssa went on when Ravi was done, "Maybe that's why I didn't love her as I should. My father hadn't acknowledged her. I wonder if he would have."

"Nyssa," the Batman voice was in full effect.

Nyssa nodded to her companion. It was then that Damian noticed that the man was carrying a bundle in his arm. Something small wrapped in dark cloth. He laid it between the Batman and Nyssa, before carefully unwrapping it to reveal a horribly mutilated body of a child.

Belatedly, somebody covered Damian's eyes. "I don't need to be coddled!" he protested but whoever was covering his eyes did not relent.

"Stop it," it was Richard, "You don't need to see this."

"He should look," Nyssa said, "Her name was Athanasia and she was his sister and your daughter, Batman."

* * *

"My sister was pregnant with twins," Nyssa explained, they were sitting around the table. Everybody but the batman, who loomed like a dark menacing presence. Damian could feel the anger and hate rolling off of his father, "But of course, she was never going to give birth. My father wouldn't allow it, even if Talia had wanted to and I am not sure she did. So eight weeks into the pregnancy, both embryos were removed and put into artificial wombs. Damian developed well but Athanasia was deemed not as promising. But my sister was unwilling to dispose of her. So she froze her as a backup. In case something went wrong with Damian."

There was a growl but surprisingly, not from his father, but Richard. Nyssa went on, "After Talia got her perfect boy. She all but abandoned her genetics lab on Al Ghul island. So I took control of it to work on some of my own projects. That's when I discovered Athanasia's frozen embryo. Neither Talia nor my father seemed interested in what I did with her, so I decided to use her in my gene editing experiments. I wanted to see if I could turn her into a meta. Once she fully developed, I confess to running experiments with her."

"You tortured my daughter," his father said, his voice was quiet and hollow, "Did Talia know?"

"No," replied Nyssa. "I never told my sister that I allowed Athanasia to be born. As far as she knew, I had only experimented with her at the fetus stage and then disposed of the cells."

"Ra's?"

"I never told him but my father has eyes and ears everywhere. So maybe he knew," replied Nyssa, "I cannot be sure. Also, I want to make clear that I didn't torture her. She felt pain during the medical examinations I subjected her to and during training. But it's not like I inflicted needless pain."

"Those medical examinations were not necessary," Richard pointed out. The anger in his voice was palpable.

"What happened?" Drake prompted, "How did she die?"

"Someone broke into the compound I was keeping her at and ritually sacrificed her. They used her blood to cast a spell. I don't know what the spell was supposed to do or why they needed to sacrifice her specifically. But whoever did it wanted her especifically."

"Get out," the Batman said after a moment of silence. Damian had a hard time thinking of him as his father at the moment.

"Wait!" protested Drake, "You are going to just let her go?"

"We can either fight her people and throw her in Blackgate, from where she would break free within days, while likely causing other inmates to breakout and cause chaos, or we can figure out who is trying to hurt Damian and who killed Athanasia."

"But she hurt Athanasia, too!" Drake pointed out.

"She did and I won't forgive or forget, Nyssa," it was all the Batman now, "And I will make you pay for all the pain you inflicted on her."

"I understand," replied Nyssa disturbingly calmly, "But know that what I did was for the greater…"

"Shut up!" snapped Richard, "Nothing you say will justify what you did. Nothing! Now get out of our cave!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"I swear I did not know," Ravi was explaining to an irate Richard, "I am just a servant of the Al Ghul. Lady Talia bought my debt and my service when Lord Damian was a week old. My sole duty is to care for Lord Damian and maintain his household on the Al Ghul Island. I did not know that Lady Nyssa had allowed Lady Athanasia to be born or that she was using Athanasia for her experimentations into metahumans."

"But you knew about Athanasia," Drake queried. Damian found himself wondering the cave, staying close enough to listen to the conversation but not wanting to stand awkwardly around grownups who were filled with emotions he couldn't fully understand. Why were they sad about a girl who wasn't even supposed to be born?

"Yes, Lady Talia was the one who named her Athanasia," Ravi acknowledged, "After I came to the island for the first time. I took stock of everything, that included the genetics lab. Lady Talia pointed out where she was keeping Athanasia's embryo, what her name was and authorised me to use her cells to grow organs for Lord Damian should I need it. Although, the primary way for us to regrow organs for Lord Damian would have been to use his own cells. That is why, when Lady Nyssa came to the island and appropriated the genetics labs, I removed all of Lord Damian's genetic material to facilities under our control. I did not remove Athanasia's embryo or dispose of it because I did not have permission to do either. But I did not think Lady Nyssa would use the embryo. Certainly not without Lady Talia's permission."

"How can you be sure Talia didn't let her sister do it?" demanded Richard, "Because it seems to me, that Talia didn't care what happened to Athanasia."

"I cannot speak for Lady Talia, but I do believe that had she known Athanasia had been allowed to develop and be born, she would have given her a chance to prove herself a worthy heir to the Damon's Head, just as she did Lord Damian."

That's right, his mother was fair. As long as he lived up to her expectation, she would always love him. But what about his father? A Robin suit on display in a glass case caught his attention. Damian wandered over and spotted a plaque, "Jason Todd, Robin". Oh, this was Jayjay's suit. This was here because his father didn't know Jayjay was alive.

"B buried me and forgot me," that's what Jayjay had said but what did it mean? Was Jayjay not good enough? Is that why father didn't even try to bring him back when he died? Just buried him and forgot him? But then, why was the memorial here? Was it a warning to Drake? Mess up, and you'll be replaced?

"Damian," his father called him softly.

Damian turned around to find his father standing behind him. He took off his cowl and dropped to his knees in front of Damian and gently touched his cheeks. It was then that Damian realised he was crying and his cheeks were wet with tears.

No! "I am not weak," he said quickly, pulling back and furiously rubbing his eyes.

"Damian!" exclaimed his father as he pulled him into his arms, "You can cry," he assured Damian, "You can cry."

"I want, I want," he wanted Jayjay, "Bat Bear!" His father was going to hate him now, but Damian couldn't think of anything else.

"Okay," said Richard, taking Damian from his father, "Let's go get Bat bear. In fact, let's order in Pizza and watch a movie."

"You don't need to help father?" wondered Damian as he was carried upstairs.

Richard shook his head, "We need some experts for this. So Bruce is going to track down an ally of ours, John Constantine."


	9. Chapter 9

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

Richard wasn't completely with Damian even though he was in the room with him. He kept spacing out and wasn't cheerful at all.

"You are supposed to eat the pizza!" he finally snapped, when Richard just held on to his slice instead of eating it.

"Sorry, Li'l D," replied Dick, putting the pizza back in the box, "I guess I am not very hungry."

"Are you upset about, Atha… Atha…"

"Athanasia," Dick pronounced for him, "Yes. I mean, she was just a child, but she was made to suffer during her short life. We all failed her without even realising. Me, your dad, your mom, even Ravi, she should have been safe and loved but she's gone, and I'll never get to meet my little sister. Li'l D," Dick knelt in front of him and gave him an intense look that Damian couldn't fully fathom, "I am glad that we got to meet. I already love you, and I am going to do everything to keep you safe. I would have liked to have loved Athanasia too. So I am sad that I will never get to meet her. Do you understand?"

Damian nodded, Richard gave him a small smile and climbed back up next to him. "You know, the first time I became an older brother, I didn't take it very well. Your dad and I weren't getting along back then. We were hardly talking. I was spending most of my time with the Teen Titans, slowly making Nightwing. Then one day, I find out from a Google Alert Teen Titans had set up that there was a new Robin! Bruce had given away my name, the name my mother used to call me as a term of endearment, and the colours I made my own. I was so angry, and it stopped me from being the brother I should have been to Jason, Jason Peter Todd, the second Robin. Then he died, and I never got to be his big brother."

Dick sighed and pulled Damian a little closer, "When I first came to the manor. Bruce didn't tell me he was Batman. I would see him at dinner if I was lucky. But in the early days, I hardly got to hang out with Bruce. It was breakfast, then off to Gotham Academy where the kids didn't know how to handle the newly orphaned circus freak."

"Did they really call you that?" demanded Damian.

"Not to my face," Dick admitted, "But I heard the whispers."

"I will pull out their tongue and nail them to the walls!" declared Damian.

Dick laughed, "Don't do that! It was a long time ago, and many of the people who called me a circus freak behind my back became my friend before the end."

"Really?"

"Really," Dick assured Damian, "But at the time, the words did sting, and I spent weeks being lonely, and angry. I was angry that my parent's killers weren't caught. I was lonely that my foster father didn't seem to care about me. The only one who seemed to care was Batman. He would turn-up when I ran away and tried to find Zucco myself. The truth came out one night when I got hurt trying to break into what I thought was Zucco's hideout. The guards shot at me, and a bullet grazed me. That's when Bruce took a leap of faith and shared his secret with me. But even when we became closer, and Robin was born, I was still lonely. So one day, I asked Bruce for a baby brother. I drew him a picture and everything! I wanted a cute little brother who would be my friend forever. Unfortunately, Bruce wasn't keen to make a baby brother for me. His excuse was that he didn't have a special lady he wanted to be the mother of his child. That was of course not true. He was just being mean!"

"You should have asked my mom," declared Damian.

"This was before I met Talia," replied Dick, "But anyway, the point was. Jason should have been the answer to my prayers. But I was so caught up in my issues with Bruce that I neglected him. I am not going to do that with you, or let Bruce make you feel lonely just because he can't handle emotions. I am never going to make the same mistake I made with Jason!" Dick pulled Damian even closer and gave him a brief hug.

"Athanasia reminded me of Jason," Dick explained, "She was another sibling to whom I could not be a big brother too. This time I know, it wasn't my fault. I didn't know she existed, but Jason was my fault. I shouldn't have let my issue with Bruce keep me from my brother. Maybe if we had a good relationship, Jason would have come to me when he started having issues with Bruce. Maybe if he would have asked me to come with him when he went looking for his mom. Maybe he would still be alive."

Dick looked so sad that Damian almost told him that Jayjay was alive. But Damian stopped himself. You don't grow up in the league without understanding that sharing secrets don't lead to good. Besides, Jason being alive wasn't his secret to share.

"I know you and Tim aren't friend yet," Richard went on, "But please be kind to him. He'll be a good brother to you. He just needs a bit of time to adjust."

Damian remembered how shocked and angry Tim looked in the cave. It made him think that maybe Tim didn't care about his father having biological children with claims of the Wayne fortune. Damian was starting to believe. But what if that's what Tim wanted? What if as soon as Damian let down his guard, Tim struck?

"I'll trust Tim for yours and father's sake," Damian told Richard, this was his leap of faith, just like telling Richard he was Batman was his father's leap of faith.

"I hear a but in their Li'l D, why don't you want to trust Tim?"

"I am a Wayne by blood," Damian pointed out.

"So?" Richard did not seem to comprehend.

"I heard Timothy's father squandered the Drake family fortune before he died," Damian mumbled.

It seemed to take Richard a long time to put two and two together. When he did, he let out a long drawn out breath, "Gotham is full of families fighting each other over money. Almost expected given how many rich people we have in the city. But Tim isn't one of those people. He'll be more likely to die to protect you then see you dead."

"Really?" Damian didn't want to sound so disbelieving, but he couldn't help himself.

"Really," Richard assured him.

Damian hugged bat bear and decided he would trust Richard and Timothy. "Can you stay with me all night?" he asked.

"Of course! I am not leaving your side until Bruce returns with Constantine."


	10. Chapter 10

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

Ravi wasn't allowed to be alone with Damian anymore, or so it seemed because Dick would not relinquish Damian to Ravi when the latter came to fetch Damian for bed. Instead, Dick suggested he and Damian have a sleepover in the media room, in something called a pillow fort. Tim, who apparently did not accompany Batman in the hunt for Constantine, also joined. Damian didn't understand the point of the "pillow fort", but it was fun running through the manor pulling pillows and sheets from every bed.

Once Dick and Damian retrieved enough pillows and sheets, Tim appeared with a bucket of clothes pegs and clothing lines. He also had a book labelled, "Jay's book of fun" that had quite a few elaborate pillow fort designs.

"Don't tell Bruce I have this," Tim told Damian in a conspiratorial tone, "I am not supposed to have it," but he didn't offer any explanation as to why he wasn't supposed to have the book.

Damian thought the "Jay" to whom the book used to belong was probably Jayjay. But his father thought Jason was dead. So why would he not approve of Tim taking Jay's book? Damian didn't understand, but he held his tongue.

Once the fort was built, Dick cued up a Disney marathon as all three entered the fort with a copious amount of popcorn, chocolate and other snacks. "Ravi isn't happy," Dick informed Damian, "But I don't care! After everything that's happened, we need a fort night."

"Please tell me you don't think this is what people mean when they say, fortnight!" demanded Tim.

"I said what I said!"

The subsequent conversation remained at the same level. After a while, Damian tuned out and sometime after that; he must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing he knew, the room was dark and mostly silent. Certainly the movie wasn't on any more. But Damian through he would hear whispers. So he strained his ears to listen.

"...multiple fractures, burn marks, and other signs of trauma. I can make guesses as to why Nyssa was inflicting trauma on her but nothing justifies the pain she put that little girl though! The fact that she's Bruce, no she's Batman's daughter makes it that much worse."

"We didn't know about her Timmy," Damian heard Dick say, "We aren't omniscient. We need something to go on. The person who had something to go on was Talia. But I believe Ravi when he says she didn't know either. Whatever she's planning with Damian, it's clear that he's well looked after. She would have done the same with her daughter."

"Maybe," Tim did not sound confident, "We have to tell him. We have to tell Damian he's not going back. I am sure he loves his mother. Even at my lowest, when I could have justifiably hated my parents, I still loved them and wouldn't have wanted to be taken from them. Damian will need time to process the reality that this is his home now."

Damian bit his lips so hard that he could taste blood. But he couldn't cry out, not yet. He needed to learn more. Ravi was always telling him that until he was strong enough to take on anyone he came across, he had to be a shadow, and watch, and listen. He had to stay still and listen.

"There's no point in telling Damian anything yet," Dick was saying, "First we have to get to the bottom of what's happening. Who killed Athanasia and why? Who killed the little boys of our acquaintances? Was killing those boys just about sending us a message?" Dick explained, "After that or maybe during that, we'll find Talia. She and Bruce need to have a long talk. Maybe at the end of it, she'll see that Damian belong here, with us."

"Talia isn't always reasonable."

"I know, but I can always hope."

The silence following Dick's statement stretched out for so long that Damian started thinking the other two had fallen asleep. But then, "What if Damian doesn't want to stay with us? What if he prefers his mom?"

Damian would hear the smile in Dick's voice as the latter replied, "Well, we'll just have to show Damian that we are the best, coolest people around, and we love him a lot already!"

"If anyone can do that Dick, it's you!"

"I'll need your help too, Timmy! Let's make sure we don't lose any more of our siblings."

Damian didn't know how to feel. He wanted to see his mother again but living with his father forever here in the Manor, he didn't know how he felt about it. But one thing Damian was already sure of, living with Dick forever would not be too bad.

* * *

"So you're the unholy spawn of…"

"Constantine!" came the Bat-growl.

"The kid knows I am kidding!"

"Just get on with it!"

The man smelt awful. Damian didn't want to be near him. But clearly, Dick sensed that because he was sitting with Damian on his lap and refused to let the little boy get away from the odd man, "So kid, your mom or grandpa ever teach you any spells?"

Damian shook his head, "No one taught you any magic?" Constantine tried again.

"One of my teachers was teaching me how to breakdown language and create new ones by using a lot of old texts. Some of them were forms of Grimoire, but I don't think they were real. Just stuff people made up to take money from the gullible."

"So you don't know how to summon the devil?" Damian shook his head again, "That's very strange because the devil has his eyes on you!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"I am sure you could tell with your machine," Constantine said as he paced around the remains of Athanasia, "Her blood's corrupted."

"DNA analysis did show aberrations," it was Tim who replied, "She's 45% an Al Ghul, 45% Wayne. The remaining 10% was a hodgepodge of different things. Nyssa was editing her genes to try and turn her into a meta of sorts. But it wasn't consistent. It's a miracle she wasn't born incompatible with life."

"I don't know what those fancy science things mean but because they messed with her blood, her blood wasn't good enough for what they wanted to do," Constantine went on, "So their spell went awry and killed all those little boys. They were trying to point to Damian here."

"I am not sure how well the deaths marked Damian's location," replied Tim, who seemed to be the only one not silently seething, "The children who died didn't have a direct connection to any of us. It was their parents we were connected to, and there was also that random death near crime alley. The only connection hint of connection I found that possibly, that boy's mother, Gabby Gray, might have known Jason Todd. But Jason is dead! Why kill Gabby's son?"

Constantine opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the gravelly growl of the Batman, "Who are they?"

"They call themselves the Black Glove," Constantine replied, "Most law enforcement just thinks of them as another drug cartel. But running drugs is just how they fund themselves. Their real goal is to bring their god, who might as well be our devil, into this world from, well somewhere outside of our dimension."

"And they need Damian for that," Richard wanted to confirm, "But why?"

"That I am not sure about," replied Constantine, "I did hear a rumour that the group had its origin in Gotham. But can't say that lad wasn't marked for slaughter for being an Al Ghul."

"Is there any way to know if the Black Glove were the ones who attacked Talia?" Richard wondered out loud.

"I doubt this Black Glove were responsible for the attack on Al Ghul island," Ravi finally said, "The fighting style of our attackers betrayed them to be of a more ancient origin than the city of Gotham. Lady Talia also did not seem to think our enemies were unknown, just an inconvenience."

"They could be unrelated," Tim reasoned, "But my hunch is that the Black Hand might have used this other group to distract Talia and Nyssa so that they could get a hold of Damian and Athanasia. They succeeded with Athanasia. Since she wasn't suitable, they are going to come after Damian."

"Let them come!" declared Damian, "I am not helpless! I can defend myself!" even as he said that he could feel his inside grow cold from fear.

Richard was beside him in an instant, "I am sure you can, Dami," he whispered as gently pulled Damian to his side, "But family means you never have to face dangers alone, and we are your family! We'll make sure the Black Glove doesn't get anywhere near you!"

"Easier said than done," interjected Constantine, "Not saying that your manor can be breached or anything," he quickly added as he felt the full force of the Bat glare, "But since magic is involved, I can't guarantee your usual defences will work."

"Then add new defences," replied the Batman, even as he started to move towards the Batmobile.

"Bruce, where are you going?" asked Richard.

"To get answers," was all he growled before he took off.

"Your dad's a charming fellow," Constantine said to Damian, "Hope you don't grow up to have his charms."

Damian did not like the implications, "I will grow up to be a credit to the Wayne and Al Ghul lines," he declared.

Richard laughed, "It's okay to just grow up to be the best Dami you can be," he assured him.

"But for that to happen, Lord Damian, we must study," interjected Ravi, "Please come along, I have new workbooks for you."

"Are we going to design the ultimate pillow fort?" Damian asked as he hopped down.

"Yes, it will be a thing of beauty; I assure you, my lord."

"Good! I do not want to lose another pillow fight to Timothy. Therefore, I must also demand that you teach me how to make better weapons out of pillows!"

"Damian! Pillow fights are supposed to be fun and not serious!" Richard called after them. But Damian ignored him. Timothy was able to bop his nose with a pillow! That was unexpectable! There will be no more bopping of his nose in future pillow fights.

* * *

The mood in the manner did not remain remotely jovial as the day wore on. Because in the afternoon, they buried Athanasia beside the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Though none of them had known Athanasia in life, they all seemed to feel the loss of potential. Damian could have been a big brother. Richard could have had a baby sister. But now, she was gone. Damian also understood that tossing her in the Lazarus Pit wouldn't bring her back. Because despite popular belief, the pits weren't a cure-all.

The earliest legends surrounding the pit were always about it being a doubled edged sword. A distraught husband brings the corpse of his loving wife to the pit to heal. But she emerges changed and no longer the loving wife who died. These were Damian's bedtime stories, meant to teach Damian not to count on the pits, even if he died. His family would not necessarily put him in the pits. Also, the stories taught him that his grandfather was special, able to master the pit and come out of it just as he went in.

Damian knew, that even as an Al Ghul, death had the potential to be as final for him as it was for others. So Athanasia was not coming back. She was gone, forever and, for some reason Timothy was the one most distraught. He was crying uncontrollably and hogging all of Richard's attention. Damian was beyond annoyed. It was his blood sister who was dead. Why was Timothy brawling like a fool!

However, every time Damian wanted to say something, he could feel a gentle touch from Ravi to stop him. He didn't understand. Given that he was still kept mostly isolated from Ravi, he doubted he would be able to ask Ravi to explain himself either. But he kept quiet and let Timothy make a show of being oh so upset. As if he actually cared about a girl he never met!

After the funeral, his father disappeared into the caves. Soon after, Pennyworth informed him that the Batman had left on the Bat plane and not expected to be back anytime soon.

"Why?" wondered Damian.

"I am afraid I am not privy to all of Master Bruce's movements," Pennyworth replied, "But I imagine that the Batman has a lot of investigation to do."

There wasn't much else Damian could do, so he made his way to the table that had been set up for him in the main living room. There was a pitcher of water, snacks, lots and lots of workbooks that he was making his way through. Ravi could still set his lessons, including continuing to train him physically. But Alfred was always lurking, or they were restricted to areas with cameras. Since Ravi did not think anything he was doing would be disapproved by the Batman, he was happy to comply and convinced Damian to do the same.

Damian would have rebelled more if his movements were restricted. But separate from Ravi, Damian had few restrictions on his movement and so he let his father treat Ravi with suspicion and mistrust. Coming from the League, Damian understood that the most loyal of servants could and did turn on a dime.

He was left to his own devices for sometime before Richard came to him, "Are you okay, Li'l D?" he wondered.

This was his chance to get some answers, "Why was Timothy brawling his eyes out like an idiot?" he demanded, "I mean, not like Athanasia meant anything to him! He was so dramatic!"

"That was kind of cruel," replied Richard bluntly, before sighing and sitting down next to Damian, "Tim wasn't putting on a show," he assured Damian, "But his tears weren't just about Athanasia. He's had a hard few years. Losing his mom, losing his dad, he even lost a few of his friends. He hasn't always let himself grieve or cry. There was always something to do, a case to solve, a bad guy to catch. Maybe he could tell himself, but at least they led a good life or something like that. None of that applied to Athanasia. So I think that's why everything came out of Tim today."

Damian didn't understand but accepted that Timothy wasn't silly and overdramatic. But he was sure his mother would not approve of his behaviour. But of course, his mother wasn't here so, what did it matter? Right?

Richard must have read something on his body language because after a moment he whispered, "Come on, let's go do something fun!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"They watch me most of the time, but I still have time to myself, as long as I am not with you," that was the message Ravi had managed to hide in the translation worksheet he had set for Damian.

It was something Ravi called a "Rosetta Stone" worksheet. He wrote three paragraphs in three different languages. One language Damian knew very well, like English. Another Damian was still mastering, like Chinese and then a third language Damian did not know at all, and he had to tease out words or figure out the general structure. However, today, Ravi had given them a worksheet containing English, Chinese and Arabic. He knew English and Arabic well enough that it was strange to include both in this particular exercise. So he started paying attention to all three and quickly picked-up small discrepancies between the paragraphs that revealed the coded message.

The second sheet, which contained Arabic, Chinese and Ancient Egyptian, looked more standard but looking closely, Damian could see that Ravi had hidden another message within the exercise, "There is a tree in the far right corner of the estate, the fallen bird haunts it. Messages hung on the branches of the tree reach the bird. The bird replies sometimes but has little to say. But knows all."

For some reason, Damian was happy to hear that Jason was up to date with everything that they had discovered. He couldn't tell his father about Jason, but it didn't seem like the family was being led astray by not knowing the about Jason. But Jason did not have the resources of his father. He needed to know everything they could tell him, so he didn't waste his resources. Personally, Damian hoped Jason was trying to find his mother because he was beginning to worry about her.

Damian stopped himself from rushing to the third worksheet. Knowing that it would look suspicious to Pennyworth, who was hovering in the room, cleaning or working on his tablet, if Damian reached for the third worksheet before attempting to work on the second. So he forced down his curiosity and worked on the worksheet.

Finally, he reached for the third, and he wasn't disappointed. There was a message there, "The Bird has discovered who attacked the League. It was the Darga clan; they do not worship any gods but themselves."

Damian hadn't heard of the Darga clan before, but the message was clear enough. The attack on the league was unrelated to what happened to Athanasia. It was a coincidence, or so it would seem. Damian wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore except that he was lonely.

Richard was back in Bludhaven, he had his own life and his own city to protect after all, but with promises to return as soon as he could. His father was gone. Damian didn't even know if he was in the country. Timothy and Pennyworth were the only ones left in the Manor. They left Damian alone, letting him explore the manor and the grounds, read, paint, Richard and Timothy had introduced him to something called Pokemon. Damian was enjoying catching them all.

"That's enough studying for today," Pennyworth interjected after Damian had gone through a few more language worksheets and a math worksheet.

"Master Dick wanted to take you and master Tim out to pizza. He also wants you to stay the night. His loft will be safe enough with Master Timothy there."

"I would like to remain with Lord Damian," Ravi insisted firmly.

"I think it is best to leave the boys to themselves," Pennyworth said in a tone that made it clear this was not up for discussion, "I have double checked with Master Bruce. He thinks both you and I could do with a night off."

Ravi knew not to argue when the situation was futile. So he told Damian to be careful, especially when Pennyworth would not let Damian wear his battle suit or carry any weapons. Damian was told to take Bat Bear with him. He wasn't sure why not like tossing Bat bear at a demon would do anything. But he decided not to argue.

So it was that Damian found himself in the back of an Audi, strapped in a child seat! He tried to protest the indignity, but Pennyworth was not having any of it. "We are not above the law, Master Damian," he replied, "Also, Gotham PD is strapped for cash. We will be stopped and fined. Wayne's did not become rich by paying petty fines!"

Damian pouted, but he knew when to admit defeat. Instead, he reasoned that no one could see him through the heavily tinted glasses anyway, so he might as well cuddle Bat Bear. So he settled back, hugged his bear, mindlessly listening to the violin concerto Pennyworth had on in the car.

* * *

It was dark, but his eyes weren't adjusting. It was just dark. Finally, there was a small amount of light. Like from a small tealight candle but there was something in front of it. In the faint light, he could make out the outline, like a child hunched over.

"Aunty wouldn't let me have much light," Damian could tell it was a little girl by her voice, "She spliced some genes into me that was supposed to make me see better in the dark. But I couldn't see anything."

The silhouette moved, but before Damian could see her face, Pennyworth interrupted them, "We are here, Master Damian."

Damian jerked awake to find Pennyworth lightly touching him. He groggily looked around, only to be assaulted by the neon overload that was Bludhaven. Damian wasn't surprised that Richard loved Bludhaven.

* * *

"I am glad you are here, Li'l D!" Richard said with as he hugged Damian tightly, "We are having a special circus workshop for some kids from the Haven Community Centre. So I thought you could join them. We'll have pizza afterwards, and you can stay here tonight."

It sounded good to Damian. The kids from the community centre were from a disadvantaged background, and they weren't very skilled. But they were trying, and Damian helped where he could. Because, obviously, it generally took him no more then two goes to master the tricks Richard was teaching them. But he didn't feel like gloating, not when he could tell the tricks were deliberately kept simple, and the other kids were so far below Damian in skill level that gloating didn't even enter Damian's mind.

The classes ended after two hours. It was fun enough, but it was only when Damian settled down with pizza with Richard to watch a Dumbo that he truly began to feel happy. "I am glad I came," he thought, he couldn't bring himself to say it to Richard, but he was very, very glad.

The room wasn't so dark this time but mostly because there was a door slightly ajar opposite to Damian that was letting in some light. Damian wanted to go through the door and explore, find out what was going on. But he was filled with dread. He couldn't remember the last time he was this afraid.

"Don't be afraid," said the voice from before; it seemed to be beside him.

Damian turned quickly to face the girl. He could only make out her silhouette, which was a darker black in the otherwise dark room. He could also see a bit of movement, "Your eyes are good," she said as if she was able to tell that Damian could see her movements, "But then again, you are the son of the Bat! Maybe that would have been enough for me too. But aunty thought she could make me better. She only made me worse."

The door was flung open, but before Damian could see what had entered, he felt something soft and fluffy in his arms. Instinctively, he looked down before he looked towards the door. In his arm was Batbear.

Damian jerked awake, he was in bed, cuddling Bat bear. Richard was sharing the bed with him. But he seemed to be sound asleep, with his back towards Damian. He didn't understand what was happening. But he couldn't help but wonder, did Constantine do something to Bat Bear? Is that why they wanted him to keep the bear with him?


	13. Chapter 13

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"He's coming," said the little girl.

Damian was dreaming again, "Who?"

"I think you call him Jayjay…"

Damian woke up abruptly to find himself nestled in Tim's arm as they later ran along the Gotham rooftops, "Put me down Drake!" demanded Damian.

"No! Stay still!" Tim snapped.

Damian stopped but only because he was confused and it was clear Tim wasn't going to enlighten him. So he took a deep breath and tried to see what he could while Tim held him in a death grip. Tim Drake was not used to carrying children. Richard was much more competent in this regard, so why wasn't Richard holding him?

The answer came when Richard was thrown along the path they were running, not stopping until he hit a concrete wall. "Richard!"

Tim stopped, put Damian down and spun around to face the creature that had thrown Richard as if he was a rag doll. "Get Nightwing," Tim barked at Damian.

Damian did as he was told as a creature advanced on them. It was a humanoid creature that seemed to be partly made of smoke. Its eyes were moving around in its face and its teeth were constantly exposed.

"Can't… hurt," Richard forced out as Damian ran up to him. Richard was in bad shape. Damian wouldn't be surprised if every bone in his body was broken. So he was sure when Richard was saying didn't apply to himself. He was hurt, which meant, the creature couldn't be hurt.

Sure enough, Damian turned back to see Timothy's bo staff do little damage to the creature. He would hit the creature hard enough to break bones, but the creature reformed and moved its body around. Then it finally struck, Timothy dodged but barely. Damian knew they were in trouble, big trouble! But he picked up Richard's escrima sticks and stepped forward.

"Noo…" protested Richard but Damian ignored him. He wasn't going to go down without a fight or let that monster hurt Richard anymore.

There was a loud sigh, and suddenly, there was a new person on the rooftop, "Step aside, replacement," barked the newcomer, "This thing is mine."

"Jayjay!" cried Damian in joy as Jason Todd stepped forward.

"An All Caste!" said the creature in some shock, "I was told there were none in Gotham."

"Yeah well, your information was clearly wrong," Jason informed him calmly, "So you want to tell me why you attacked my little brother? Or do you just want to die?"

The creature lunged at Jason, "Die then!"

"Jay…?" Richard forced out.

"Jason?" Tim echoed in disbelief.

Jason paid them no mind. If anything, he purposely seemed to navigate the fight away from the others. Timothy quickly came to his senses and rushed to Richard, checked him over while calling for help.

Damian tried to follow Jayjay, if only to follow the flight but Timothy grabbed him and wouldn't let him go. Jason was by now too far away for Damian to keep up with the fight but he could tell that Jason was winning. Soon, Jayjay had reduced the monster to dust.

"Jason…" Richard tried to move and reach out. It was a futile gesture because Jason was so far away. But Damian understood the desire. Because it didn't seem like Jason was going to come over to them.

"Jayjay!" Damian ran towards Jason.

Jason looked at him briefly but didn't stick around. Instead, he walked to the nearest ledge and jumped from the roof. By the time Damian reached the spot Jason had jumped from, he had disappeared into the Gotham night.

* * *

"Jason is alive!" father was livid.

Damian shrunk back into his chair, clutching Bat Bear. As if the stupid stuffed bear could protect him! This was it. His father was going to throw him out. But hopefully, he'll let Ravi come with him. If not, Damian wasn't sure how he was supposed to find Jayjay.

"I am sorry if my silence offended you, Batman," Ravi replied calmly, "But my instructions were clear. I was told to contact an agent of Mistress Talia in the city under a pseudonym to apprise him of the happenings in the league. I did so while still en route. Closer to Gotham, I received additional communication from Mistress Talia telling me the true identity of her agent with instructions to not let you know. But to go to him to keep us safe should you prove unwilling to protect Master Damian."

Damian hadn't thought it was possible for his father to get angrier but he was proven wrong. The Batman seemed to reach apolitical levels of rage at Ravi's answer. "You should have told me," he snapped.

"Damian," Timothy turned to him, "You called him, Jayjay. Does that mean you knew about him?"

His father turned toward him and fixed him with a harsh glare. At that moment, Damian hated Timothy's guts for exposing him to his father anger. But there was nothing to do now but to own the truth, "I met Jayjay when he was still sick. Mother had taken me to see Grandfather in Europe. Jayjay was there. But he was sick. He couldn't speak, didn't seem to remember who or what he was. He ate when he was hungry. Fought if he was attacked. But he never hurt mother or me. He would stay with me and attack the men grandfather sent to test me. Grandfather got annoyed the sent me away. I didn't know what happened to Jayjay afterwards. I didn't know that Jayjay was Jason Todd, the second Robin. Mother never told me who Jayjay was, only to be careful because Jayjay was sick and unpredictable."

"How long ago was this?" Timothy asked.

"About a year?" offered Damian, "I am not sure."

No one asked anymore question, which was good. Damian hadn't lied. But he still didn't tell them that Jayjay had come on the grounds shortly after he had reached the manor. He didn't want his father to hate him any more than he already did.

"That thing called Jason an All Caste," Timothy said to Ravi, "What is an All Caste?"

"I believe they are an ancient order of monks. They are steeped in magic and keep their own mysteries. But some who train with them work as assassins. Not for the League. The All-Caste have their own code. They only remove that which needs to be removed to increase the good in the world."

His father did not seem pleased with the answer but let it go. He turned away, "Go to Dick," he ordered Damian, "And stay with him."

"What are you going to do to Ravi?" wondered Damian, he hated how his voice betrayed his fear.

His father blinked, as if only now realising he was scaring Damian, "Nothing," he assured Damian, "Now go, Dick is worried about you."

Damian did as he was told. He found Dick in his old room, laid up in a full body cast, "Hey Li'l D," Damian went up to his bed. He wanted to get up on the bed but didn't want to accidentally hurt Dick.

"Raven is coming," Dick told Damian, "She's a friend of mine. She can heal me with her magic. I try not to abuse magic if I can help it, but this is bad enough that I won't be able to get by without a little help from my friends."

Damian nodded, but he didn't know what to say. "So, Little Wing is alive," he smiled, "I am glad. Hopefully, he won't stay away from us. But enough of that for now, why don't you read me a story? Or would you rather watch something?"

Damian opted to read as they waited for Raven to arrive.


	14. Chapter 14

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

There were many advantages to smoking as a homeless person. The cigarettes suppressed hunger, had a warming effect and loose cigarettes could be bought for cheap, or otherwise obtained. As for the downsides of lung cancer and other illnesses, the Gotham homeless could safely bet on dying, long before their bad habits caught up with them in the form of ill health. So, it wasn't a surprise that Jason took up smoking as a child, living on the streets of Gotham. Of course, one of the first things Batman did was break his habit. Robin could not be a smoker.

Neither Talia, nor the All Caste were big on smoking. So Jason never relapsed. But every now and then, when he was extremely stressed or simply looking to reaffirm his independence, he would lite up. Today he was stressed, why the hell had he not grabbed Damian?

Sure, they would have to leave Ravi to his fate. But it wasn't like the Batman would kill Ravi. But of course, there was a high chance that Bruce would shift all his attention to hunting Jason down if he took Damian. No, it was best to leave Damian with Bruce and so that they could all focus on the forces arrayed against them.

Jason tossed what remained of the cigarette, and walked over to the far wall of the warehouse he had been using as his base. There was a large corkboard on which he had pinned up bits and pieces of information he had gathered. He did not have the resources of Batman or his detective skills. But he also was not starting at zero.

When Talia had contacted him to tell him to halt his plans, she had told him that the League of Assassins was under attack from Lu'un Darga and his minions. But Lu'un Darga had nothing to do with The Untitled as far as he knew. It was conceivable that the Darga had enlisted the Untitled. But they were not people he would see working together.

Besides which, Jason had heard chatter surrounding some sort of ritual sacrifice taking place in Al Ghul compounds following attacks. That did not fit the emo of either the Darga or the Untitled. Unless he was missing something big. But what? He looked at his phone. It was encrypted and heavily modified. It only accepted a small range of numbers. You had to be in a League of Assassins safe house to reach it. It was how Ravi had got in touch with him on route to Gotham. But it was not good to him right now. Besides, he wasn't sure Ravi had the information he needed.

Jason sighed and whispered to himself, "Do it for Damian," he pulled out his other phone, a fairly normal burner phone and Googled the location of the nearest Bat Burgers.

* * *

Raven teleported into the cave. Tim took her to Dick immediately. Dick and Raven were friends who trusted each other deeply. She had no issues healing him. The trouble started when Damian returned and met Raven for the first time.

Raven screamed, "Pain, so much pain!"

"Damian?" wondered Dick.

"I am not in pain," Damian replied.

"Not him," Raven clarified, "But something has attached itself to him. I don't know what. It feels like a mass of emotion. A mass of pain!"

Damian was debating whether to mention Athanasia when the doorbell rang. The oddity of a visitor at midnight put them all on guard. Damian didn't hesitate to use the opening to leave the room and rush to see who it was.

He got to the stairs just in time to see Jason walking up, "Hey kiddo," he said cheerfully, but Damian could tell it was mostly forced, "I brought burgers!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Flora asked how Jason knows magic. It was then that it occurred to me that a lot of readers might not be up to date with comics. For those who didn't know, since 2011, Jason Todd has been part of a magical assassin group called the "All Caste". He has a pair of magical swords that he can summon at will and is powered by his soul. The swords can only harm magical creatures or something like that. But it is implied that Jason's swords have become weaker since his rampage in Gotham City as the Red Hood or put in another way, his soul-powered swords were at max power following his resurrection when he was still "pure" and hadn't gone on a killing spree. The All Caste stuff becomes important from this point in the story, so yeah!


	15. Chapter 15

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

It was a good thing that Jason hadn't bought any drinks. Because he had to drop the bags with the bat burgers and jokerised fries when Damian jumped up and hugged him.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's all going to be okay," Jason whispered.

"I was scared!" Damian explained, "Father was angry. I thought he was going to throw me out, and I didn't know how I would find you!"

"Bruce was going to throw you out?" demanded Jason.

"No, I was not," father interjected with a rough growl, "Jason."

"Bruce," Jason hitched Damian higher on his hips, "I hear you wanted to throw your own son out on the street."

Bruce scowled but turned his attention to Damian, "Damian, why did you say that?"

"You were angry in the cave," replied Damian, doing his best to cling to Jason.

"Damian, this is your home. It'll always be your home," Bruce made clear.

"I am sure you told Dick that too but didn't stop you from throwing him out!"

"That's not fair, Little Wing," interjected Dick, who was now completely healed and thus able to come out of his room, "You know it was more complicated than that!"

"Whatever!" replied Jason, "Look, I bought burgers. We can eat and share information. Find the fuckers who are trying to hurt Damian. Then, I'll take Damian and Ravi back to the League, and none of us has to see each other ever again!"

"Damian will not return to the League!" declared Bruce, "He's my son, and he stays with me!"

"Huh! Didn't know you were in the market for a new Robin," taunted Jason, "You hear that replacement," he said, "Seems the replacement is being replaced!"

"Nobody is being replaced!" Bruce growled.

"Sure," replied Jason with a smirk.

"Stop!" Raven interjected before snipping could begin again, "This is not helping! You are agitating it, and I don't think we should do that."

"It?"

"The mass of emotions attached to Damian," replied Raven, "I don't know what it is, but it is in pain."

"It could be what remains of Athanasia," suggested Tim.

"Nyssa's experimental meta freak?" wondered Jason, "What does that thing have to do with any of it?"

Cold silence filled the halls before Bruce finally broke it with a menacing growl, "You knew about Athanasia?"

"Sure," replied Jason carefully as he tried to ignore the quietly trembling Damian, "I mean, I never saw it. But I heard Nyssa was growing something in her labs while I was hitching a ride with some of her men back to the US."

"Jay," Dick whispered as Bruce looked like a tempest personified, "Athanasia was Damian's twin sister. She was Bruce's daughter!"

"Wait, no! That's not possible," Jason declared in a shocked tone, "Nyssa would never do that! Not to her blood!"

"She did, and she would," snapped Bruce, "Get it through your head, Jason. The League of Assassins cares about no one but Ra's Al Ghul and sometimes, they don't even care about him. My son stays with me. Now and forever!" and then he turned and left.

Jason got the distinct impression that Bruce only left to stop himself from committing grievous bodily harm to Jason. But the chill didn't dissipate until Dick suggested they eat and give Raven a chance to figure out what was clinging to Damian.

"I have had weird dreams," Damian admitted to Dick and Jason, as he sat between the two and ate the food that Jason bought. It was okay, but he didn't quite get the appeal of burgers and fries. He much preferred pizza.

"What kind of dreams?" Dick asked.

"The first dream I had, Timothy was making me eat a rotten Bat corpse!"

"I think we can safely ignore that dream," Tim drawled.

"Quiet replacement!" snapped Jason. Tim scowled but didn't say

"I think the second dream was about Athanasia. She said aunty kept her in the dark because she was supposed to be able to see in the dark. But she couldn't."

"I am going to kill Nyssa," declared Jason.

"And what good is that going to do, Jason?" Demanded Dick, "The time to act was when you found out Nyssa was running experiments on someone."

"Shut the f…," Jason stopped himself with a glance at Damian, "I heard about it offhand while I was en route back to the states. I had no idea where Nyssa's base was or anything like that. The only reason I remembered the conversation was because I heard that Nyssa was doing the experiments because he wanted to make a new, meta-powered body for Ra's."

"This is not helping!" Raven interjected, "Please continue Damian."

"Umm.. next time, I was in the room again, but there was more light. Something came through the door, but I was distracted by Bat Bear. So I didn't see what it was. Last time, Athanasia said Jayjay was coming, and then you came to save us from the monster!" he explained.

"I can feel the presence calming while Damian talked," said Raven, "I think it might be what remains of Athanasia. But I don't know what was coming into the door or what relation Damian's later dreams might have to his earlier dream about Tim wanting him to eat the body of a bat."

"I am pretty sure that dream is a red herring," replied Tim, "Damian and I had a rocky start, I am sure that dream was about that!"

"Maybe," replied Raven, "But I wish I could be sure."

"Can you stay the night?" Dick asked, "Maybe Damian will have another dream tonight, and you might be able to pick something more up while he slept."

Raven agreed. Damian suggested they all bunk together, "It's not because I am scared," he insisted, "But Timothy might be."

"I am…" Tim started but was stopped when Dick hugged him.

"It's okay Timmy! We'll keep you safe!"

"This family is the worst!" Tim grumbled but did not protest further.


	16. Chapter 16

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

_Once upon a time, there lived a great prince! He was skilled with the sword, had the best and fastest horse as his best friend and he was the heir to two great Kingdoms. His father was the ruler of Gothlam and his mother was the ruler of the great city-state of Khaadime. But as great and brilliant the prince was, he was beset on all sides by danger!_

_For his father in a moment of weakness had taken in the son of one of his nobles and this boy, this interloper, wish nothing but death on the prince!_

"For the last time, Damian!" snapped Tim, "I am not trying to kill you!"

"Now, now, replacement, it's just a story," replied Jason as he tried to come to terms with the surrealness of his surroundings.

The boys, plus Raven, were in the entertainment room of the Manor, a huge room design for a cinema that Bruce had built for Dick one summer because Dick wanted to watch movies on the big screen but Bruce could never bring himself to go to a movie theatre ever again. There was bedding everywhere, and food.

Jason couldn't wrap his head around being back in the manor, and having a casual sleepover when all he wanted to do was kick Bruce's teeth in for not avenging him, for replacing him. He was also plenty angry at the Dick and the Replacement. But he couldn't do much except sit because Damian was on his lap and had made himself comfortable.

"It's not just a story!" Tim gritted out, "Why am I the villain!"

"The villain is not you, Timothy!" snapped Damian, "The villain is umm… Lord Dimotheus Dragonkin."

"Really, Damian! You aren't even trying!"

"He's five, replacement! I think it's very clever, Dami," Jason replied.

Damian looked up and grinned at Jason, "Anyway, where was I… Lord Timontheus, I mean Lord Dimotheus…"

"He said Timontheus!"

"Okay, okay, how about I tell a story?" suggested Dick.

"Fine!" agreed Tim and Damian. Jason just rolled his eyes.

_Once upon a time, there was a travelling circus where lived the greatest aerialist in the whole wide world. A boy by the name of…_

"I am not listening to you talking about you!" Jason stopped him, "I'll tell the story."

_High up in the mountains there was a small village. Life was rough but the villagers were doing the best they could. But they had peace, which counted for a lot. But then, one night, a young man did not return from his trip into the forest to collect wood. His parents raised the alarm when he was missing for the entire night and most of the next morning. The villagers put aside their work for the day and went out to search. It did not take them long to find his bones, clean of meat and blood. They knew it was him because of his clothes and belonging. The village was shocked even as his parents fell into lament and despair._

"Maybe this is not an appropriate story for…"

"Quiet, Richard!" Damian interrupted, "What happened next?" Jason was a good storyteller.

_The villagers did not know what could have killed the young man. So they were worried. They started travelling in groups and not staying out at night. It seemed to work and in time, the fear began to lessen. But just when they were getting comfortable, the nearest village to the forest was broken into and the teenage daughter of the couple living there abducted. The father and mother had heard nothing. But the villagers found her bones in the forest, not too far from where they found the young man's. This was serious._

_The villagers sent word to all nearby townships and villages. They asked whoever they could at the market town they frequented. But no one knew what might be happening. But the villagers learnt they were not alone. Other villages had also suffered similar murders. It was a season of terror. All around the mountain, people were disappearing. The villages became wary of strangers and of each other._

_Finally, in the dead of winter. A new face entered the mountain. The man with the red hooded robe was not warmly welcomed but he wasn't shunned either. The villagers weren't stupid, they knew their problems started long before the man came. They were quick to warn him of the danger. The man listened carefully and thanked them for the warning. But it did not stop him from going out into the forest, alone._

_The villagers had no time to think about him. For they were still living under the terror of a murderer. They all wondered when the murderer would strike again. Then, one moonless night. As one of the farmers of the village was turning in which his wife and son, the red-hooded man broke into his house and without a word, attacked the farmer!_

_His wife screamed, his son rushed forward to try and protect his father but then stopped dead as the man's cooper blades exposed the farmer for who he truly was! An Untitled! For the red hooded man was an All-Caste! The sworn enemy of the Untitled. The two fought long and hard but eventually, the red-hooded man killed Timlion the farmer!_

"Really, Jason!" Tim screeched in indignation, "Not you too! Why you too?"

Before Jason could say anything, Raven interjected, "What's an Untitled?" Raven asked.

"The Untitled is an ancient clan that sipped from the well of darkest of shadows," replied Jason accepting the change of topics , "That thing that attacked you two on the roof was an Untitled," he explained to Tim and Dick, "They are the enemy of the All-Caste, the people who trained me after I came back to life."

"Do they eat people?" Damian asked.

"Yes, and they are the monster of many stories all over the world," Jason sighed, "It's been bothering me. The Untitled hate each other and tend to stay scattered. Blending in with communities like the farmer in the story. They don't normally interfere in other people's business. So what the hell was one doing in Gotham?"

"Do they hire out their services?" asked Tim.

"I have never heard of an Untitled needing to do that," replied Jason, "Think about it, Replacement. An Untitled can take the face and shape of anyone. If they need money, they would just kill and eat a rich person and become that person."

Tim started to say something but stopped himself. "Why don't we try to get some sleep?" he suggested instead.

"Can I sleep between you and Richard?" Damian asked Jason.

"I was thinking about keeping watch," Jason said slowly. Damian gave him a look, a kicked puppy look, "But I supposed I should probably sleep for a bit."

Damian grinned, Dick grinned, Jason frowned but didn't protest as a Dick and Damian prepared the bedding for the night. Raven went to the sofa to meditate. Tim went another sofa while Damian cuddle Bat bear as Dick and Jason laid down on either side of him.

"I am glad your…" Dick started.

"Don't! Just don't!" Jason stopped him.

Damian yawned, "I hope Athanasia leaves me alone tonight."

"I hope so too, Li'l D."

* * *

He was back in the darkroom. But this time, he was more prepared, "Athanasia?"

"Yes."

"Why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to crossover or something?"

"I don't know. It could be my meta power."

"Your meta power is to be a ghost?"

"I don't know. Aunty Nyssa tried very hard to give me powers. But she didn't seem to succeed. So many I needed to die to show my powers."

"That's stupid!"

"I guess."

"So what's that thing?"

"It's a demon. That's all I know. When I first got here, he tried to eat me. But he didn't like my taste. So he hurt me for a long time. But he got bored and tossed me aside. If he catches and eats you, it'll be bad. So that's why the bear's here to protect you."

It was at that moment that Damian realised that he was holding Bat Bear. The room was pitch dark and he couldn't see anything. But he could feel the comforting fluffiness of Bat Bear and he knew he was safe as long as he had his teddy.

"I don't want to keep coming back here," Damian replied.

"I know."

"Can you leave this place?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to live again?"

"No, I didn't like my life. I would be okay if I just stopped existing."

"Okay! I'll ask father to make you stop existing. I mean, he's the Batman! Batman can do anything!"

That was all Damian had time to say before he felt the approaching presence of the demon. He didn't know if it was the spell on Bat Bear or Raven or one of his brothers. But before the demon could get too close, he was awake and back in the living room and in the middle of a battle!


	17. Chapter 17

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

None of the parameter alarms went off because the attackers didn't have a corporeal form to trigger alarms. They were smoke until they were inside and then they took form.

"Copper, that's the only thing they can hurt them," Jason bellowed, "Also, they aren't human. So don't hold back!"

He hoped the others had enough practicality left in them to heed his words and didn't try to spare the Untitled out of some misguided sense of justice. But their bad judgement was not his problem. He had but one goal, kill as many Untitled as possible, take Damian and run!

Damian had tried to join them and fight back. But fortunately, Raven had put him in a shield bubble of some sort, before manoeuvring the bubble to be at the centre of an outwardly facing circle consisting of herself, Dick, Tim and Jason.

Jason had no clue where Bruce was, they certainly could do with the Dark Knight. But then again, it would be on-brand for Batman to be late when it comes to his "family". All the more reason for Jason to take Damian far, far away from here. Damian would make a good All Caste. They certainly could do with a few more Caste members.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, more smoke filled the room and when it cleared, Essence stood by his side with her blood blades. "Looks like you could do with a hand!"

"A blade would be better," Jason quipped but that was all he managed before one of the bay windows shattered inwards as the Batman entered the room…

* * *

Bruce was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming because he was happy. His parents were here. He was dancing with his mother. It was his birthday, they were having a party. He was happy.

"Bruce, It's your birthday. You don't have to dance with your old mother," Martha told him.

"What was I supposed to do?" Bruce joked, "Father made me promise to ask for the hand of the prettiest girl in the room."

"You're as corny as he is," Martha replied with a smile.

Bruce smiled back, "No, I am as lucky as he is," he went on, "Besides, dancing with you ensures the kids won't get me in trouble with Selina."

"Kids? You don't have kids," Martha wondered, "And who is Selina?"

Bruce went still. "My sons, I have three… no four, I have four sons."

"Don't be ridiculous," Martha chided her, "Unless there is something you haven't shared with me."

Bruce stepped away from her. He was so confused. He had… he remembered, "None of us become yours or are born to you, if you don't lose them," a little girl's voice said.

Bruce turned around to come face to face with a little girl. She was sickly pale. Her skin and hair were oily and dirty. Her clean white frock stood in contrast to the rest of her appearance. "Thanks for the dress," she said.

The ballroom was gone, his parents were gone. He was in the Batcave where he had put the dress on the dead body of the daughter he hadn't known he had before burying her. "Alfred," he whispered, "Alfred cleaned your body."

Athanasia nodded, "Aunty Nyssa would get mad often and stop me from bathing. I guess I remember being dirty more than being clean."

"I… I am sorry," Bruce started.

"I wasn't supposed to be born. It's better if I stopped existing," replied Athanasia, "But Damian was wanted! He's the grandson of the demon's head and he's a Wayne. He's the one they want."

"Who are they?" demanded Bruce.

"There are here!"

* * *

Bruce woke-up in the cave to the blaring of sirens. It was then that he noticed that his sons were already engaged with the enemy in the living room. But the alarm had been tripped by a gang of heavily armed men. Batman made a decision. He would trust in the ability of his sons to hold the enemies who had made it inside at bay. He would deal with the men at his gates. So he called the Batmobile and went to war!

The Batmobile rammed into an oncoming armour troop carrier and smashed it against a tree. It must have taken a few of the occupants out but too many were functional enough to get out and start firing. An electrical shock disabled them.

The invaders seemed to be little more than heavily armed thugs and mercenaries. Batman deployed heavy-duty tear gas and electrified nets. Disable and contain, that was his focus as the sound of gunfire filled the night.

The bat drones started descending on the scene. Batman adjusted his cowl to block out all sound just the drones started letting out sonic attacks designed to disrupt and render unconscious the attackers. Very soon, the ground was littered with unconscious bodies of the invaders and there were no signs of fresh backup. Now he was free to join his sons inside. He didn't bother using the door, instead, he located the closest entry point to where his children were and swang in through the window.

* * *

"This is my chance," Jason realised, "Essence!" he screamed as used the All Blades to cut through Raven's magical shield to get to Damian, "We need to leave!"

To her credit, Essence didn't argue. Instead, she shifted the planes of reality and took them into the Astral plane and through the plane into the Acres of All! Damian threw up as soon as space and time stopped shifting.

"I am surprised he managed the trip as well as he did," Essence said with a smile, but then she stopped smiling, "So, why did we bring him here?"

"He's Talia's son," Jason explained, "So we can ask Ducra if he can stay and train here."

"Yes but why?" Essence asked again, "He has a family right? Shouldn't he be with his family."

"I am not leaving him with Bruce!" Jason snapped, "He doesn't care about his family. His so-called family is just meat-based tools to be used for his mission. If Damian is left with Bruce, he'll probably get used as bait to catch creeps like Mad Hatter or the Dollmaker. In time, he would get stuffed in a Robin suit to replace the replacement and I am will not allow that!"

"You think my mother's training is better?" challenged Essence.

Jason sighed, "Look, I just need him somewhere safe until I can find Talia."

"And what will you do if you can't find her?"

"I'll, I'll be responsible. I owe that much to Talia. Maybe to Bruce too. I mean, I did believe him when he adopted me and called me son. Even if it turned out to all be lies."

"As I told you before, I don't know if moving on with your life is lying," Essence said, she, of course, knew how Jason felt. They talked about it a lot when Jason lived in the Acres of All, "You died. The living tends to move on."

"I know," replied Jason, "And I forgave him a lot. I forgave him being just a bit too late to save me. I forgave him burying me out of sight so that I would be out of mind. I even forgave him replacing me. But I will never forgive the fact that he didn't avenge me. He should have killed the Joker. He could move on once that menace was removed from the world. But he didn't," Jason spat out, hate colouring his last words.

Essence didn't respond. This is usually how their discussions ended. "But bring Damian here isn't about Bruce," Jason added after a moment as he watched Damian make his way to a nearby fountain to wash his face and mouth, "This is about Talia. I owe her enough to keep Damian safe."

"Alright, I'll help you," whispered Essence before going to Damian. If he was going to stay for awhile, she needed to get him settled in.


	18. Chapter 18

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"But why can't I stay at the manor!" demanded Damian looking confused and heartbroken, "Doesn't my father want me?"

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but he was silenced by the cold glare Essence was directing at him. "I am sure your father wants you. But Jason thought you might be safer here," she said, kneeling down beside Damian.

Jason knew Essence was going to chew him out. It was good that she wasn't undermining Jason in front of Damian. But he knew she wasn't going to support him in front of Ducra. She had assumed that at least Damian wanted to be with Jason. Jason, for his part, hadn't expected Damian to be so resistant to the idea of staying with him. Wasn't he worried about Bruce throwing him out?

"I want to return to my father and fight beside him!" Damian said, "But I want Jayjay to come too! We shouldn't have left Richard! I want Richard!"

As if Damian's anguished cries summoned him, Dick Grayson materialised out of thin air as Raven's powerful magic breached the protective barrier that was supposed to keep outsiders from the Acres of All.

In typical Nightwing fashion, he didn't have to wait for his feet to touch the ground before launching himself forward to land a solid punch on Jason's face!

"Never do that again!" he bellowed before turning his attention to Damian, snatching up the boy into his arms, "You okay, Dami?"

"You came for me!" Damian sounded surprised.

"Of course I did!" he Eskimo kissed Damian, "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded of Jason.

"I was keeping him safe!"

"This place exists almost outside of time and space," Raven commented, "This would not be a bad place to hide from the ones Jason called the Untitled."

"But you weren't hiding from the Untitled where you Jason," Tim replied with absolute conviction, "You were going to keep Damian away from us!"

"What's the matter, Replacement," taunted Jason, as he stood up straight so that he could use his height and bulk to protect an aura of menace, "Tired of being Robin?"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Tim was bewildered, "What is your problem?"

"My problem! You are really asking the guy whose life you stole what his problem is?" Jason was incredulous, "You're asking the murder victim who remains unavenged why he's mad that the people who claimed to love him, the people who said they were his family just buried him out of sight, out of mind and moved on to the next boy that fit the profile? Fuck you! Fuck you both!" before anyone else could say anything, Jason continued, "I thought, I thought I would be the last person the Batman would ever let the Joker hurt if it had been Bruce or even you Dick, who he beat to a bloody mass. If it had been one of you that the Joker left in agony if he had taken one of you from this world. I would have done nothing but search the planet for that pathetic pile of evil, death-worshipping-garbage and sent him off to hell!"

"You have no idea how close Bruce came to doing just that, do you?" demanded Dick, "And do you know what would have happened to him had Superman not stopped him? Had we not managed to talk out of that murderous rage? It would have been the end of Batman!"

"Or worse," Tim whispered quietly.

"Well, maybe Batman should end if he can't kill the Joker!" Jason declared.

"I'll kill this Joker person," Damian declared, "If it'll make Jayjay happy and, and stop, stop him from being angry at father. I'll kill the Joker."

"No one is going to kill the Joker!" declared Dick, "Not because he doesn't deserve death. He wants to die. If it helps his grand plan, he'll kill himself. But his grand plan is corrupting us. We kill the Joker, the Joker wins. The only way for us to win is not to play."

"But you do play his games!" snapped Jason, "He escapes, he commits crimes, the Batman goes after him, catches him and puts him in jail. Rinse, repeat to infinity as the bodies keep piling up!"

"If the Joker has to die, it should be the law that does it," Dick snapped back, "Alternatively, some other rogue can take him out. But it won't be us. Because we don't kill!"

"You don't kill," replied Jason, "But I am an All Caste. I can and will kill."

"Jason, if that's what you want to do with your life then that your choice," Dick replied sounding resigned but determined, "But going down that path won't lead to anything good, and you know it. Because otherwise, the Joker would be dead by now."

Jason opened his mouth but closed it again. There was a lot of things he wanted to say, but his thoughts and emotions were all jumbled up, and nothing came out.

"The food is ready."

Almost all of them jumped in shock as they finally noticed the withered old woman who had snuck up to them, "I am Ducra. Leader of the All Caste. Given you have become targets of the Untitled, I am willing to open the Acres of All to you for the time being. Come, eat, bathe, rest, and when you are done, Jason," she said, turning to him, "We need to talk."


	19. Chapter 19

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"If you are going to yell at me," Jason was saying to Ducra as he followed towards the inner sanctum of the Acres of All, "You can start now!"

Ducra stayed silent.

"Look, I get it! I shouldn't have brought Damian here. I didn't think he was already that attached to stupid Dickface! But I should have guessed Dickface had warmed his way into the kid's heart! He's the worst!"

Ducra stayed silent and kept walking.

"But I couldn't just leave him with Bruce! Bruce doesn't give two shits about anything but Gotham and his mission. He's not even very good with his mission given the Joker is still alive. He would have gotten that kid killed sooner or later."

Ducra kept walking.

"But I guess I have to be more patient. Damian needs to realise for himself how little Bruce cares. But I wanted to spare him the pain if possible. That's not wrong, is it?"

"Steel yourself," Ducra suggested.

"What?"

Ducra stepped away, revealing a charred, mangled body on a slab. It was impossible to tell who it was but Jason knew. He knew because why else would Ducra be showing him the body, "Talia," he whispered.

Ducra stayed silent. But her silence was confirmation.

"No, no, no!" Jason staggered forward and collapsed next to the body, "This is not happening! Please, please, please tell me this is not happening!"

"It was Lu'un Darga," Ducra explained, "The Darga Clan believe they are the true guardians Lazarus Pits and have been at war with the League of Assassins for centuries. Ra's Al Ghul defeated most of the clan and sealed them away. But you do not claim to be guardians of the Lazarus Pits if you can be easily killed. Lu'un clung on to life. But he was a powerless shell that was holed up in the tombs of his clan. Something restored his powers to the point that he could resurrect his clansmen and lead a war against the League of Assassins."

"The League lost?"

"No, the League won," replied Ducra, "But Talia lost."

Jason came to a horrible realisation, "Ra's sacrificed her."

"It was more that given a choice, he opted to go for the fatal blow that killed his enemy then risks his enemy getting away while he saved his daughter. But you could have guessed that," Ducra pointed out, "Ra's loved his daughter but not more than his ambitions and his mission."

Ducra paused to let her words sink in. Then she asked, "Would the Batman do the same?"

Would the Batman prioritise taking down an enemy over saving someone? Anyone? Over his own child. Jason couldn't lie, "No, he would have saved Talia."

* * *

"I left Bat Bear!" Damian noted in a panic, "That smelly magician put a spell on him and he was guarding my sleep. I can't sleep without Bat Bear!"

"We know," replied Dick, "That's why Tim made a point of getting Bat Bear before we left."

Tim stepped forward with Bat Bear, "I brought Robin Bear too. That way you don't have to fight with Dick about who cuddles what."

"Hey! I don't need a bear to cuddle when I have Dami!" Dick glomped Damian.

"Unhand me Grayson!" screeched Damian but he didn't fight hard to getaway.

They were interrupted by the entrance of Jason, "Dick, we need to talk," he was tone chilly, his body language defensive.

Dick glared in return but followed Jason out of the room without protest.

"Where's Bruce?" Jason demanded.

"He's continuing his investigation in Gotham," replied Dick coldly, "Alfred is holding down the fort. Ravi is still at the manor. You shouldn't have taken Damian," he said again.

"Well get over it!" snapped Jason, "We have bigger issues. Talia is dead."

That shocked Dick out of his anger, "What? How?"

"I don't know the details. But she fell during the battle between the forces of Ra's and Lu'un Darga. I don't know who exactly dealt her the fatal blow or charred her corpse beyond the powers of the pit to restore but she isn't coming back. You, you need to tell Damian."

"Are you sure about this?" Dick did not sound convinced.

"Ducra has her body," Jason's tone was irritated, "You can have Raven teleport it back to the cave and have Bruce run tests."

"Yeah, I want to do that," replied Dick, "Not that I don't trust you, Jason. But I want to be absolutely sure Talia is dead before telling Damian anything," Dick sighed, "Ra's is going to come after Damian isn't he? Are you going to help us keep him? Or are you planning to betray us to the League?"

"I am not League, Dickface!" Jason bellowed, "I want what's best for Damian. So I'll take him after everything is done. Better he's with me than whatever rich people boarding school Bruce will stick him in to wash his hands of him until he's old enough to be of use in his mission," Jason taunted.

Dick took a deep breath and then punched Jason. Dick could be deceptively fast when he wanted to be. "What the hell is your problem! You know what! No! I don't care! But don't take your issues out on Damian! Bruce isn't going to send Damian away to boarding school, and he will probably never let Damian be Robin either! Bruce was ready to retire Robin forever after, after what happened to you."

"Oh yeah! Then why is there a kid wearing my colours over there!" Jason waved his free-hand towards the general direction of Tim and the others, while his other hand was preoccupied holding his jaw. Dick had not been gentle with his blow.

"So what? Would you be happy if we ripped the Robin suit off Tim!"

"I would have been happy if you killed the Joker! But failing that, yes, I did expect Robin to die with me!" Jason informed Dick, "But whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters is Damian. You need to tell him about Talia. If Bruce is going to play at being a father. Fine. I can wait until he fails and lets Damian down, just like he let me down," with that, Jason turned and left. Not giving Dick a chance to respond.

Dick was too full of emotions and thoughts to respond. He felt like punching something. But probably not Jason. Not again. He had already let his temper get the better of him one too many times. Besides, he had work to do. He needed to get Talia's body to the bat cave. Bruce needed to know and needed to confirm her identity. He would think about informing Damian after the results came through.


	20. Chapter 20

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

"What do you mean you are going back to Gotham?" Timothy was not taking Richard's sudden declaration well, "I thought we agreed we were staying here with Damian."

"I need to see Bruce about some developments," Richard paused to look at Damian, Damian wasn't sure how to describe the look Richard was giving him. Beyond sad seemed the closest description that fit, "Essence will take me there, and we shouldn't be gone for long. I understand time moves differently here. So we might be back within ten minutes for all I know."

"Is Jason going with you?" Timothy asked.

"No, I haven't seen Jason," Richard replied as he aimed a questioning look towards Essence, who had entered the room as they were speaking.

"Jason is still at the Acres of All," she confirmed, "But my mother has use for him."

"When will Jayjay be back?" Damian asked.

"When he is back," replies Essence.

"You aren't very good at hiding things are you?" asked Timothy, "Why don't you tell it to us straight. Both of you are hiding things, and it's getting annoying."

"I am sorry, Tim," Dick replied, "I can't tell you yet. Once I am back from Gotham, I promise I will tell you everything."

"Jason is an All Caste. You don't need to know what we require of him," came Essence's stoic reply.

Timothy looked as annoyed as Damian felt. But they both held their tongue. "Wait!" Damian yelled as a thought occurred to him, "You are leaving me alone with Timothy?"

"For the hundredth time, Damian, I am not going to hurt you!"

"He's not going to hurt you li'l D," Richard assured him, "As I told you already, Timothy doesn't want Bruce's money. He certainly isn't going to kill you for the Wayne fortune."

"Hold up!" Tim screamed, "That's what this is about? Damian think I want to kill him so I can inherit Bruce's money? I have never been more insulted in my life!"

"Ravi said…"

"When we return to Gotham, I am going to have some words with Ravi!" Tim declared, not letting Damian finish.

Richard signed and cuddled Damian, "Li'l D, I know the League is very cutthroat. But in this family, we don't kill each other over money. The last of Alfred's cookies, sure but not money."

"But Timothy made me eat a rotting bat in my dream!" Damian insisted, "All my other dreams meant something. Maybe that means something too!"

"No, it doesn't!" snapped Tim.

"It means you should never accept pizza from Tim. Because his favourite toppings are," Dick leaned in and whispered, "Anchovies and artichoke hearts."

"Ewww! That's gross!"

"It's not gross! You all have terrible taste buds," snapped Tim, but the fight was leaving him. He sighed," Damian, look, I don't want to kill you. I don't want your father's money, and I'll buy you whatever pizza you want. Okay?"

"Okay."

Richard smiled, hugged Damian again before putting him down. "I am ready to go," he told Essence.

She nodded, and smoke engulfed them. When the smoke cleared, they were gone, and Damian was left alone with Tim. Damian kept his eyes on Timothy, waiting for him to make his move. Now was the time to see for sure what were Timothy's intentions.

"We should find Jason," Timothy answered.

Damian agreed. That was the right course of action. So maybe he could trust Timothy!

"Are you sure about this, Ducra?" Jason asked as he stood in front of the Pool of All.

"Are you afraid?" asked Ducra, "How much of your soul have you sacrificed already in your quest for… what was your quest again?"

"Vengeance," as soon as the word left Jason's mouth, he knew he had triggered a trap.

"Ah yes, you were going to exact vengeance from the Joker by killing him," Ducra replied.

He should hold his tongue, but if Jason did what he should, he wouldn't be where he was, "Actually, was going to orchestrate a scenario where I would force Batman to choose between the Joker and me."

Ducra stayed silent and even though he was not looking at her, he could feel her giving him the look. The look that said Jason wasn't making a lot of sense. "Batman should have killed the Joker for killing me. But he has a stupid no kill rule. So I was going to force him to either shoot me or let me shoot the Joker."

More silence that was heavy with incredulity or so it felt to Jason. "Look! It sounded like a good idea in my head."

"That would accomplish what?"

"I don't know!" snapped Jason, "It would bring me peace."

"The Joker's death or yours?"

Jason couldn't answer that. "I am not ready," he realised, "But I'll face the Behemoth. If that's what it will take to bring back Athanasia to life, I'll do it!"

"Wait. What!"

Jason spun around to come face to face with the replacement and Damian. It would seem, he had some explaining to do.


	21. Chapter 21

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

Bruce stared at the charred remains refusing to believe without proof that it was Talia. It couldn't be. He didn't love her the way she had demanded she did. He was angry with her for not telling him about Damian, about Athenasia but because of them, she was the mother of his children. He didn't want her to be dead.

"I have Talia's DNA on file," Bruce said, "But we cannot rule out a clone with DNA alone."

Essence said nothing. She had made herself home in one corner of the cave and seemed to be meditating.

"Let's start with DNA," Dick suggested, "While you work on that I will run other tests and see what else we can deduce."

"Her ribcage, it felt strange under my hand. So she told me the story. Ra's broke her ribs once. It never healed perfectly. X-ray should pick up the deformity."

"I'll start with the X-ray then."

They worked in silence. Bruce running a DNA test, Dick doing scans and doing up X-rays. It took a few hours, but finally, they had enough information to confirm that what lay before them was most likely, the body of Talia Al Ghul.

* * *

"What do you mean you can bring Athanasia back to live?" the replacement was demanding.

Jason looked at the two confused, slightly betrayed faces in front of him, and he knew he couldn't do this. He might not be related to Bruce Wayne by blood, but it didn't mean he hadn't picked up some of his traits. Including an almost debilitating fear of emotional situations. So Jason jumped backwards into the Well of All because death was better than having an awkward conversation, and Jason fell. He fell through darkness and the void.

The Well of All had no bottom. If you weren't worthy, you would fall forever and ever until you went mad from the sheer weight of time and nothingness. Jason had no idea what the powers that be were using to evaluate him. But whatever the criteria were, he was found adequate because suddenly, there was light!

The light revealed a floor, a stone floor towards which Jason was fast hurtling towards. Not wanting to break his neck, he twisted as best he could to spread out the impact across his body while protecting his head. It still hurt.

"Ouch," a redundant sound, but it made him feel better.

Jason stood up and quickly looked around. He was in a cell of sort with a single door made of thick, aged oak. He could see the room clearly enough because it was filled with a faint light. But he couldn't see the source of the light. But in the shadows, he saw the girl.

"Your eyes are special," she said, "That's what aunty wanted me to have, eyes that could see in the dark. But I never could."

"I don't think that's right," Jason replied, being careful not to move, he didn't want to spook her, "I am not seeing you as if I have night vision."

She didn't seem to have a reply to his assertion, so moved on with the conversation, "You shouldn't have come here. Now we are both trapped."

"I am here to kill the Behemoth and take you away from here."

"I don't want to return."

"Why not?"

"I didn't like being alive," Athanasia admitted.

"Believe it or not, I understand," Jason replied with a sigh, "I thought being brought back to life was a raw deal. I mean, I didn't have a good life. My birth family fought all the time, but if they weren't fighting, it meant my dad was probably in jail, and my mom was wasted. After she died, I was on the streets, and every day was a struggle. Then Batman happened. My life changed, and I was happy and time were good. But all that meant was that when the bad times came, I felt it just that much more. I failed as Robin and was killed. I thought it was the end and it wasn't unwelcomed. But the universe like screwing me over."

"So you understand! I want not to exist. I think that would be ideal."

"I understand, but I still think you should return. Because for all the cons of living, there are pros too. Because I returned back to life, I was able to meet Damian. Become an All Caste, have my first kiss with a girl I liked. I also got to save lives, souls and lots of other things. I am not going to say there aren't days I don't miss the peace of the grave. But overall, life is worth living. You didn't get to live. Why don't you give it a chance?"

Athanasia was silent for a bit. She looked like she was about to answer, but before she could, the door burst open and in the frame stood a monstrosity!


	22. Chapter 22

**Little Damian**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

Jason loudly swore as he summoned his All Blades, "What the hell is that thing?"

He did not expect an answer, but Athanasia did have one, "It's the Bat-God, Barbatos. It's trying to crossover into our world using Damian's body."

As she said this, the Barbatos let out a roar, and something that can only be described as anti-music escaped his vocals. It was no doubt intending to stun and confuse Jason before it attacked. Jason dodged, grabbed Athanasia and ran. He wasn't a fool. He knew an enemy that he couldn't beat into submission when he saw one.

Barbatos did not follow, as Jason willed a window into existence and jumped out. He was falling again. But now he was in control of the nothingness. So he forced it into a living room. Into the Wayne Manor's living room and angled himself to fall on a sofa.

"How did you do that?" Athanasia marvelled, "You bent this realm to your will!"

"I don't know what this realm is supposed to be, but I am an All-caste who jumped into the Well of All. Once I was found worthy, the Pool of All is a tool that works with me to defeat evil."

"Yout can't defeat Barbatos," Athanasia replied.

"I sensed that I am intuitive that way," replied Jason, "But seriously, that's not my objective. I need to get your soul out of here."

"You can't. They tried to use my body as a host for Barbatos. They failed because my aunt had corrupted my body too much. But my sacrifice worked well enough to anchor Barbatos here. We are connected. That's why I know the things I know. It's not that he's sharing and his mind is vast. I will be driven mad if I try to look into his mind too much. But things closer to my existence I can comprehend. He needs Damian."

"But why?"

"Because we are the children of the Batman," replied Athanasia.

"So why not just use Bruce as a host," wondered Jason, "Why to go for the kids when you can go for big B?"

"Because Bruce Wayne would exist with or without Batman. Damian and I would not."

"I don't understand," admitted Jason.

"If you go back in time to the night my father lost his parents and stopped his parents from getting killed, you would stop Batman from being born. Right?"

"Right."

"Bruce Wayne, even without being Batman, might take in Nightwing as a foster child. Might even take you in. Maybe it's unlikely, but it's possible. But my mother would never give Bruce Wayne a second look if he wasn't Batman. Sure he's rich and maybe she would conspire with my grandfather to take part or all of his fortune and put it to use for their cause. But she would not think him worthy to father, the scions of the great Ra's Al Ghul. We wouldn't exist without Batman."

"Barbatos is linked to Batman. As we are the children of the Bat, we are its ideal vessels. We are the meat suits it can wear to enter our world. Except, my blood is too corrupted. So I was an unworthy vessel. But Damian is worthy."

"I see," Jason didn't know what else to say, he really hated magic sometimes. Although he wasn't sure if what was happening was exactly magic, that was unimportant, "You need to come with me."

"I can't," just as she said that the room of the living room collapsed and Barbatos landed, "Even if I wanted to live again. I couldn't escape this place. But perhaps I can do something…" with that she ran towards Barbatos.

"Stop!" Jason ordered, but he would feel the Pool of All respond to her and aid her in her goal, it propelled her forward and forced her to collide with Barbatos.

The moment Athanasia connected with Barbatos, Jason lost all sense of time and space. He wasn't unconscious, but he simply wasn't sure if he was standing or sitting. Whether he was upright or upside down. He also couldn't tell if time was moving slowly or fast or moving at all. Then he was wet and lying down with his eyes closed.

He opened his eyes slowly but not slowly enough because he was confronted by blinding light. He quickly closed his eyes again. But not before he saw the displeased faces of the Replacement and Damian.

"Stop pretending to be asleep!" Damian whined, "What were you doing?"

"More importantly, where were you?" the replacement asked, "This pool is ankle-deep, but you disappeared underwater. Then you slowly reappeared as if you were floating up from a deep pool."

"Well, umm… it's magic," Jason replied as he slowly opened his eyes again. That was the only explanation he was willing to offer. He turned to Ducra, "There was no Behemoth. The thing keeping Athanasia's soul was something called Barbatos."

Ducra gasped but quickly recovered herself, "What happened? I cannot feel the little girl's soul anymore."

"She said that Barbatos needed Damian's body to crossover to our world. She said the monster tried to use her first but failed because she was too corrupted. But she was acting as an anchor. She ran towards it when she realised the Pool of All gave me some control over whatever dimension we were in and as soon as she collided with him, the world… disappeared..." Jason wasn't certain how to describe the last part but disappeared seemed right.

Ducra nodded, "The girl has passed on. She cannot be brought back. Barbatos is a cosmic entity. The waters of the Pool of All has something called the tenth metal. The tenth metal is the metal of pure possibility. It is what gives the Pool of All the power to do what we need it to do, to carry out our mission. But it isn't powerful enough to destroy Barbatos."

"However, it was clearly powerful enough to destroy the spell that was anchoring Barbatos to this wold, but in doing so, it also caused the girl's soul to… I would like to think her soul passed on. At any rate, she's beyond resurrection," Ducra turned to Damian, "Now you are our only concern. Because if Barbatos wants you, he won't stop that easily!"


End file.
